


Game of Love

by queenofrulers, Thy_Undertaker



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Complicated Relationships, Eventual Fluff, M/M, THIS WILL NOT RECEIVE ANY MORE UPDATES, Unrequited Love, a lot of explicit cussing, hes not creepy i swear, isabel is a sweet little devil tbh, levi has an awkward crush, levi uses the word twink once, permanent hiatus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-09
Updated: 2016-06-15
Packaged: 2018-05-12 21:09:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 39,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5680867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenofrulers/pseuds/queenofrulers, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thy_Undertaker/pseuds/Thy_Undertaker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After being dragged to a party by Isabel, Levi finally connects with the green-eyes beauty he's been eyeing in one of his classes. After his unrequited love is rejected, he proposes a game in which Levi has a month to win Eren's affections, or lose them forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, a fair warning that there is going to be a lot of Jean and Eren in this fic, but there will also be plenty of Levi and Eren.
> 
> This is the second prompt me and queenofrulers have roleplayed and turned into a fic. It was a lot of fun and we hope you enjoy!
> 
> Levi roleplayed by thy_undertaker  
> Eren roleplayed by queenofrulers  
> all other characters are roleplayed by both of us

The music thumping and lights flashing, Levi scowled as he pushed a couple off of the couch in which he was currently residing. Shitty people, come to make out on his couch. Not going to happen. They glowered at him as they slunk off to find a new make-out spot and Levi couldn't help but smirk to himself. _That's what I thought._ He thought in annoyance, wondering where Isabel was. She had forced him to come, and he was tired of waiting for her. Where was she anyways?

"Great party, huh?" Eren flinched at the sudden closeness of his friend. Her pigtails bounced as she bobbed her head to the loud music and he covered a hand over his ear in annoyance. "I love parties—Hey don't touch, that!" She shoved her drink into his hands and he watched her hurry off to smack someone on the back of their head before setting down what looked like a vase of some kind and she walked back over.  
  
"Yeah. Great party."

 

Levi was glancing around when he spotted the bouncing pigtails that belonged to Isabel. The man's gaze darkened as he stood from his spot on the couch and strode over to her. Despite only being about 5'3", somehow he appeared taller than that by the deadly glare that could make the tallest man on earth cower in fright.  
  
"Oi, Isabel. Where the hell have you been? Leaving me by myself in this shitty place." He grumbled darkly.

 

Eren laughed when Isabel jumped as someone walked up behind her, almost making her drink fall out of her hand.  
  
"Oh, hey Levi!"  
  
"Isabel, you don't need to yell," Eren told her over the music. But he wasn't sure if she heard him, so he let her do whatever. It's not like anyone cared anyways. They were too drunk off their asses to care about anything besides the cops coming to bust the party. Eren was surprised that they had made it this late into the night.  
  
She slung an arm around the short man. "It's fun. Loosen up," she hiccupped, and Eren watched in amusement as the man grimaced in disgust. "This," she gestured to Eren, "is Eren. Eren, this is my best friend," she hiccupped again, "Levi."

 

Levi scowled at Isabel, wondering who exactly she would be introducing... oh.  
  
He stared at the boy in front of him for a moment, completely stunned. It was the boy he'd seen in one of his classes before. The boy with the sun-kissed skin, messy chocolate brown hair, perfect body, sweet voice, and gorgeous eyes that Levi could look at all day. He was even better looking up close than he had been far away.  
  
He was stunned and it took him a few moments to regain his bearings. "Who's your best friend?" He couldn't help but scowl at Isabel. She had totally planned this, she was the only one who knew about his fascination with the perfect being that stood before them. The perfect being he had not been able to approach.

 

Isabel hiccupped again and she let out a fairly loud groan. "These fucking hiccups man. Go away." She held her breath, plugging her ears and Eren stared at her, snorting at how ridiculous the sight looked. He turned to the boy, Levi. He had seen him in class before. It was the one that Isabel always went on about during their biology lab.  
  
Eren smiled at him, opening his mouth, but instead he was quick to poke at Isabel's side and scream, "Boo!" Her eyes flew opened and she screamed, high pitched and loud and she stumbled away a couple steps while her drink fell to the floor. Eren laughed, holding his stomach as she glared at him, only laughing a bit hard when she smacked his arm. He settled down, taking note of her crossed arms and pouty face before extending a hand.  
  
"Hey, I'm Eren."

 

Levi rolled his eyes at the pair, annoyed with Isabel's high pitched scream that rang in his ear. He rubbed the assaulted ear, shooting her a dirty look. She might be his best friend, but damn she could be annoying.  
  
He looked at the boy as he extended his hand and introduced himself. He took it, enjoying the feel of the boy’s warm hand in his. "Levi." He said, even though Isabel had already introduced him. He didn't care, he still had the right to introduce himself if he wanted. It wasn't any of Isabel's business anyways.

 

"Okay, well, I'm gonna go... do stuff." Before Eren could protest about her leaving him at a party he was forcibly dragged to by both her and Jean, she ran off, leaving he and Levi in an awkward silence. Eren dropped Levi's hand and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.  
  
"Best friends, huh? That must be interesting. How long have you two known each other?"

 

Levi scowled at Isabel's bouncing pigtails as she left before turning back to Eren, regarding him carefully for a few moments before responding. "Since we were young. Our parents knew each other." He admitted with a shrug. He glanced around, hoping to find some un-spiked alcohol somewhere nearby. He could really use a drink right now.

 

Eren bent over and picked up the cup Isabel had left lying on the floor. It smelled of some weird kind of alcohol and it wasn't going to be long until she was drunk along with everyone else. But he found himself thinking he could use a drink himself.  
  
"You want anything to drink? I'm kind of thirsty, but I am in no way touching anything that has been opened already. I would like to have some recollection of what I did rather than be found passed out in someone's front lawn."

 

Levi smirked. "I'm with you there. Let's go find the kitchen." He said to Eren, pushing his way through people with no regard as to who they were or what they were doing. Quite frankly, he didn't care for any of their dirty asses.

 

Eren followed Levi though the crowd, laughing a little at some of their displeased faces as Levi shoved passed them. They made it to the kitchen, the music level falling greatly and he could finally breathe in fresh air instead of sweat and alcohol.  
  
Once there, he sifted through the fridge and what he could see. Finding a few unopened beers, he passed one to Eren. "It's not the best, but it's something." He told him with a shrug, popping the top one his and taking a carefully measured swig so as to not spill any on himself.

 

He took the beer from Levi, watching as he took a careful swig before popping his own open.  
  
"Is it any good?"

 

He shrugged. "Tastes like piss in my opinion. Then again, I've never really liked beer." He admitted, leaning back against the counter, his arms crossed with the beer held in one hand. "So how do you know Isabel?" He asked, regarding Eren for a moment as he stood there with his own beer that hadn't yet been opened.

 

Eren reluctantly opened his, taking a hesitant sip. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good. He's defiantly had better. He was practically best friends with one of the schools biggest party animals after all  
  
"Oh, we have biology labs together. She's also roommates with one of my best friends. So I met her through my friend and then we found out that we had class together." He hopped up on the island counter behind him, directly across from Levi. "She talks about you a lot."

 

"Tch. Of course she does." He snorted, exasperation leaking into his tone. But then he suddenly became curious. "What... has she told you?" He asked a little hesitantly, his heart dropping into his stomach. _Isabel, I swear if you told this punk anything weird you are so dead._ He swore silently, mortified at the mere thought of all of the secrets and childhood stories she could have spilled.

 

Eren laughed at Levi's obvious hesitancy and curiosity. He shrugged, holding his beer with both hands in his lap. "Um... Usually it's just her talking about you. Or some other guy named Farlan? She tells me loads of stories about him. But, she's told me a couple of stories about you. Like how when you were like ten while watching the movie Marley and Me. She said she has also caught you dancing with a broom and singing along to Britney Spears, so…" Eren hid his smile and laughed, taking a sip of his beer.

 

Levi had been taking a drink of his beer and spluttered a little, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. His cheeks turned a light shade of red. "You are shitting me right now. I never did any of that," he lied, "she is so dead." He growled. Except he had done both of those things.  
  
He had only been ten, and who wouldn't cry? It was the saddest thing every when the dog had died. Levi had never cried for people, but animals were a completely different story.

 

And the broom dancing had been a one-time thing, Isabel had been the one blasting that shitty music for days on end, getting it stuck in his head. He'd sang it without even realizing it.

 

Eren snorted at his reaction. "Sure you didn't. Izzy said you would react that way. Maybe she knows you a little too well." He took note of the light shade of red dusting his cheeks and he smiled a bit.

 

"Don't worry though. I've done some pretty stupid shit in my life too. Everyone does. Well, and I'm friends with some pretty stupid people, so it's inevitable that I wouldn't do something stupid."

 

Of course she did. Why did she have to butt her nose into things and tell him pointless things?

"In my defense, I was ten when I watched that movie and second one was her fault." He replied weakly, hating the sound of his own voice right then. Oh god, why did Isabel have to introduce him to such a beautiful boy that she _knew_ he had stared at in class more than a few times, captivated by him.

Eren laughed once again, softly this time and he waved in dismissal. "Don't worry about it. I'm not judging you. Trust me, I've done _a lot_ of crazy shit. And you were a child. Children cry about the strangest of things. And Isabel cried when she dropped the frog we were dissecting on the floor."

He rolled his eyes. "That's something she would cry about." He mused, this time his voice a little gentler. As much shit as he gave her, he loved Isabel as if she were his blood sister. In a sense, she was his sister, even though they had grown up in different families with different lives.

Eren took another swig of his drink, running his tongue over his teeth as he got used to the strange taste. He nodded in acknowledgement at someone who walked over to a red cooler that sat on the ground, rummaging through the ice and he grabbed two cans before walking back out.

Levi watched Eren's gaze travel a little, but his gaze never left him. He knew he would probably never get a chance to be this close to him again. It was stupid and weird and probably crazy, but Levi had been enamored with him since the very first time he saw him.

Eren set his beer on the counter next to him, running a hand though his hair. "I could tell you an embarrassing story if it'll make you feel better."

He shrugged at Eren's offer. "Whatever you want." But in truth, he wanted to hear it. He wanted to hear all the stories this boy might have to tell him.

Eren's eyes brightened a bit, his smile widening and he laughed at the story he had yet to tell.

"Okay, so, one time, I was dozing off in class during a reading session, and just when I hit the point of actual sleep, I moaned so loud it woke me up. The class was quiet, everyone was staring at me, wondering why I made a sexual-sounding noise like that. I coughed to tried and cover it up, but to no avail." His face was now burning a bright red at the story, but he smiled anyways as he rubbed at the back of his neck.

Levi snickered, his own cheeks dusting a light pink at his story. He hoped Eren wouldn't be able to tell in the slightly dim lighting of the kitchen. His own thoughts were not pure at the sound of his story as he tried imagine the sound Eren must have made, and how much he wanted to hear that sound in person. How much he wanted Eren to make that sound for _him_.  
  
He cleared his throat to hide his own embarrassment and to not give away any of his own thoughts "That is pretty bad." He admitted.

 

He laughed himself at the story. "Well, it's not as bad as Jean. We were having an end-of-the-year party. You know who Jean is right? He's like one of the star soccer players for the University. So, Jean got a little too drunk and at the end of the party our whole class found him making out with a tree," Eren's smile was big as he thought back to the memory and he shook his head.  
  
He picked up his beer, finding that he's drunk quite a bit of it over this conversation with Levi.

 

"Had to take him over to my house after that. My parents were out of town that weekend, thankfully, and he passed out after puking all over my shoes." He let out a sigh and scratched at his cheek. "The things I have to do for that idiot."

 

"Tch. How cliché." He mused, but smirked at the story. At least he'd never done anything so embarrassing publicly like that. Then again, he wasn't even sure he could get drunk. He'd never tried, nor did he have any interest of it. Unlike Eren, Levi had barely consumed any of the beer he held in his hands but took another drink of the disgusting liquid. He preferred harder alcohol, like vodka.  
  
"Close friend of yours or...?" He asked a little awkwardly. Levi had thought about approaching the brunette before, but that blonde kid was always there and the way they had stuck so close... well they looked as if they were together as more than friends. That alone shattered had his confidence and pretty much eliminated any chance that he would approach Eren.

 

Eren's smile fell a little at the question and to a smaller, fond smile. "Uh, well, yes and no? It's kind of complicated, but he's just one of my really, _really_ good friends. We've known each other since, like, the seventh grade, and we played soccer together. We fought a lot, but we remained friends. He helped me through some shit and I helped him through his tough times."  
  
He slid off the counter, dumping the rest of the beer down the sink and he threw the bottle into the trash. "We don't fight as much anymore now. We've grown up, matured. He used to be such a nerd though," Eren laughed as he leaned against the sink with his arms crossed. "But I was too. Glasses and braces. The whole nine yards. He was just a loser, in my opinion anyways."

 

Levi could feel his heart sinking a little. Suddenly, he really disliked this Jean guy already. They definitely sounded like they were together, or at least like Eren was interested in Jean a lot more than he was saying. It kind of annoyed Levi, even though he knew he had no real right to be annoyed.  
  
"Ah, so you were a nerdy little brat, then." He mused with a smirk, not really wanting to comment on the way he talked about Jean. He didn't want to give away any of his real thoughts, and he felt as if those big green eyes could see right through his very soul.

 

Eren scoffed a little, his own assumed smirk making its way to his face as he looked back up at Levi. "I guess you could say that. I mean, I have plans to become a Marine Biologist, so good grades were a must. I got teased for it quite a bit, being called a nerd and a geek and all that because I loved the ocean. I still do. I visit it as much as I can. If I didn't have Jean or Connie, I probably would have had a bad high school experience rather than a good one."  
  
He took notice of the slight scowl on Levi's face, deciding to change the subject. "What about you? Were you a good kid or one of those rebels that teacher hate so much?"

 

He rolled his eyes. "Neither. I kept to myself. I got good grades, but the teachers didn't like me. Then again... no one liked very much except Isabel." He admitted. He knew he wasn't the nicest person and he was not the most agreeable. But that was okay with him. He had less shit to deal with then.

 

"I didn't know what I wanted to do when I was in high school. I wasn't even planning to go to college." He admitted, drinking a large gulp of his beer to distract himself.

 

Eren was a bit surprised at this. Levi didn't seem like one of those kids that kept to themselves. He was one that struck Eren as a trouble maker, but he knew better than to judge a book by its cover.

 

"I like you. You're pretty chill. A lot nicer than some other people I've run into, trust me. And Isabel likes everyone. She's just one of those natural social butterflies." He smiled at the thought of when they first met.

 

“And what about that Farlan kid? Do know him or is he just a friend of Isabel's?"

 

"Ah, my brother actually. I'm adopted." He admitted. He wasn't surprised that he knew about Farlan since he seemed to be rather chummy with Petra. That girl had a mouth like a train that never stopped. He loved her, but man she could talk. He couldn't help but feel a little pleased that Eren liked him, though, and thought he was cool. It was a positive sign, at least.

 

He raised his eyebrows. "Oh, that's cool. I have a sister. She's adopted too. And she's a little overprotective. Pretty sure she would murder me if she found out that I was at a party. But I don't have any homework and I didn't have any other ways to spend my Friday night. And I was forcibly dragged here by Jean, Sasha, and Connie." He sighed. "But, it's not as bad as I thought it would be. Could have been worse." He sent a Levi a smile.

 

Levi felt his heart beating wildly in his chest as Eren smiled at him, and he felt a little shy but didn't let it show. He was good at masking his emotions-usually anyways.  
  
"I'm glad I came too. Honestly, I was reluctant to come because I knew the place would be full of stupid kids making out and drinking and puking." He shivered at the thought. They were all so dirty with their disgusting bodily fluids. It was why he avoided parties as much as possible. They were unsanitary.

 

Eren laughed at his statement. "Isabel also said you were one of the most sanitary people she knew. It's not a bad thing to be sanitary either. Good hygiene is a good thing." The door opened from the kitchen, the loud music blaring for a second before it closed.  
  
"Oh, hey Eren. Looks like I finally found you."  
  
Eren's smile grew. "And you're not drunk," he gave them an applause as they walked over after grabbing a beer can from the cooler. "That's a surprise." They stopped, cracking the can open before taking a large gulp of it. "Oh, uh, this is my new friend, Levi. Levi, this is Jean."

 

Levi regarded the new addition into their conversation, suddenly a little annoyed. He didn't particularly enjoy this new addition to the room. His face suddenly became expressionless and impossible to read. His voice was equally as flat once he finally spoke. "I've seen you in classes before." Was all he said, his jaw clenched slightly.

 

"Yeah, I've seen you around too. You're Isabel's best friend. Or Farlan's brother, right?" Eren nodded, instantly taking notice of Levi's change. "Farlan talks about how cool of a guy you are. It's finally really great to meet you." He turned his attention to Eren. "Sorry you had to get stuck with this loser," he reached up and ruffled Eren's hair, earning a whine from the other boy. "He's a handful."  
  
Eren laughed slightly, grabbing Jean's hand and shoved him away. "You're a handful, you dickbag. Besides, how many times have I told you, don't touch the artwork." Eren gestured to himself with a smug smile as Jean rolled his eyes.

 

Levi suddenly felt awkward, controlling his urge to shuffle awkwardly and fidget. He glanced away, his eyes sliding over to look at nothing. "Ah, yeah. I've heard Farlan mention you once or twice." He said, his voice maintaining the same monotonous tone. He wasn't sure what to do with himself, but somehow that affectionate display had made him feel uncomfortable.  
  
He finished his beer and threw it in the trashcan. "Well, I should probably go find Isabel and make sure some stranger isn't climbing all over her. See you, Eren." He said without looking at them again and hurrying off into the crowd, pushing the rowdy drunks around as he searched for Isabel.

 

Eren watched as Levi left in a hurry. "Levi, wait!" He wasn't able to catch him in time before he disappeared into the crowd. He sighed.  
  
"What was that about?" Jean asked as Eren walked back over to his spot against the sink. Their sides were pressed together, but Eren didn't push him away, Jean sipping idly at his drink.  
  
"I don't know. He was fine before. He's actually pretty chill. I like him. Pretty glad I made friends with him." He looked over at Jean who nodded slowly, continuing to sip his drink before walking over to the trash can after crushing the can in his hand. The door opened once again and they watched as Isabel and Farlan entered the kitchen.

 

"Thirty seconds late, guys." Eren said and they looked over at them, "Levi just went looking for you."

 

"Why? Wasn't he in here with you?" Isabel asked as she opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water.  
  
"He _was_ , but then he left. Seemed upset about something? But then again, I've only known him for like an hour, so I wouldn't know if he was or wasn't." He looked over at Jean and Farlan who were staring at something on Farlan's phone. When Jean let out an “Oh!” he presumed they were watching some kind of soccer video.  
  
"You've had class with him all this time, and this is the first time you've _ever_ talked?"  
  
Eren nodded. "Yeah. And uh, pretty sure that when he find you, you're dead meat." He sent a sheepish smile her way. "Sorry not sorry."

"We're going out to do some soccer ball tricks," Jean and Farlan called and they left, Eren shaking his head as they did so. It was dark outside. How would they even see anything?

Five minutes into searching and Levi had yet to find Isabel. He stormed up the stairs, popping open doors as he searched for her. All he could think was that she better not be locked away in some room with some guy. It was obvious where he was after numerous squeals and yelling followed him. He didn't bother to close any of the doors. They could do that themselves. He didn't care what they were doing, it was all disgusting to him.

 

Within five more minutes, Levi was fully and royally annoyed. He wanted to leave, and then wondered why he hadn't just called her. Levi scowled darkly to himself, causing a few nearby people to shuffle away nervously and he pulled his cellphone from his pocket and dialed her number, waiting impatiently for her to pick up.

Isabel rolled her eyes, jumping up on the counter across from Eren. "Whatever," she muttered. "So, did you guys have a bad conversation or something?" She asked and Eren shook his head once again. "Then why would he be upset?" He shrugged just as her phone began to ring. She grumbled, pulling it out and answering it. She opened her mouth, but she didn't say anything after a second.

  
"Isabel?" Levi said as the phone was answered.

  
"Levi? Where the hell are you? Why did you just leave? Why are you even looking for me?"

Levi growled. "Because you were drunk off your ass earlier. I went through all of the bedrooms even, how did you not hear them screaming?" He asked, incredulous at the fact that she was so oblivious. "Besides, why would you introduce me to him? You knew I'd been looking at him. You should have just left it be. Now where the fuck are you?" he said, his tone laced with annoyance and irritation. He just wanted to go home.

"Well, first off," Eren watched as she shifted to her sassy posture and he bit the nail of his thumb, his arms still crossed. "I was _not_ drunk off my ass, excuse _you_." He laughed at the head bob she did.

 

"And second, I did it because I was a great friend and you need to thank me. I did you a favor." She said triumphantly.  
  
He was sure that only she could talk to him that way. She was incredibly sassy and it was quite amusing. Jean and Farlan made their way back in and Eren silenced them as Isabel continued to argue with Levi on the phone.  
  
She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Farlan and I are in the kitchen." With that she hung up. "He's such a brat when he's grumpy."

 

Levi opened his mouth to say something but the line went dead. He squeezed the phone in his hand as hard as he dared. She got away with way too much. He didn't feel grateful, though, he felt stupid. It was so obvious Eren and that Jean kid were dating, or at least wanted to. Levi had no right to butt into it either. He was just someone with a slightly creepy crush on the brunette, after all this was the first time they'd actually talked. He'd never even known his name before an hour ago.  
  
Without hesitating he stormed back into the kitchen, his expression emotionless but slightly dark. "Isabel you little shit... I'm ready to go home." He told her quietly, not paying any attention to anyone else. "I was going to make sure you weren't doing something stupid before I left."

 

Eren watched as Levi stormed into the kitchen, not looking amused at _all_ and like he was two seconds from murdering someone. Jean and Farlan stopped what they were doing as Levi entered the kitchen. He muttered something to Isabel who gave him a displeased look, following with a pleading look.  
  
"Oh, hey, Levi, Jean is spending the night at our place since we have practice together." Eren raised an eyebrow at Jean who shrugged and then he looked at Levi who looked a little confused and then even more irritated.  
  
"Hey, Jean can I talk to you?" Eren asked, not giving the other boy a choice as he grabbed his arm and pulled him outside, shutting the door and leaving the three inside the kitchen.

 

Levi was looking at Eren like “why should I even care?” and turned back towards Isabel as soon as they left the kitchen. He didn't care that Farlan was in there with them as he spoke, he was sure Isabel had blabbed to his brother about his thoughts.  
  
"What. The. Fuck. He has a fucking boyfriend, Isabel. You know I had my eye on him, so what is this shit all about?" He snapped, harsher than he had been intending to.

 

"What's wrong?" Jean asked, but Eren wasn't entirely sure why he had pulled Jean out. There was something about Levi's aura that said he didn't like Jean.  
  
"Have you ever spoken to Levi before?" He asked hesitantly.  
  
"No?" Jean's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "Are you sure you're okay? You look upset."  
  
"I don't know. I didn't really have a reason to pull you out here?" He said in a question more than a statement and he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Just... be nice. You have a tendency to be an asshole sometimes." Jean rolled his eyes and Eren punched his arm. "You do." He wrapped his arms around Jean in a hug, the other boy doing the same thing.  
  
"This is random."  
  
"Shut it, it’s cold." Eren couldn't help but smile a little as he felt Jean return the hug and they stood there for a moment before pulling away.

 

Isabel glared back, unfazed by Levi's glare. She was immune to it by now. "I thought it would be nice for you to actually talk to him and do something rather than ogling him from afar like a creep." She snapped. "Besides, he isn't dating anyone. Is he?" Isabel looked over at Farlan, as if for confirmation.  
  
"I—," Levi began but he stopped talking as the door opened abruptly and Eren and Jean returned. He stood there, all of them towering over him and crossed his arms indignantly.

 

Eren smiled. "Sorry about that. It was kind of abrupt. Anyways, I have to head back before Mikasa murders my ass. Isabel, you want to come with? I think Sasha is back at her dorm already. She had to go back early."  
  
"Oh, uh, yeah. Sure. Levi you want to come with? Or are you just going to head straight home? Pretty sure that Jean and Farlan are staying until it ends. Which," she gave them a pointed look, "you shouldn't because you have practice and if Coach Pixis finds out, you're dead." Farlan rolled his eyes, shifting the ball from one arm to the other.  
  
"We probably should leave. She has a point," Jean defended, not leaving Eren's side and Farlan sighed. They walked out together, Jean not leaving Eren's side as he crossed his arms when they hit the outside, talking with Isabel. Isabel took a couple steps over to Farlan to give him a hug before she kissed his cheek. Jean and Eren exchanged a couple words, Eren laughing and they did their handshake from the tenth grade before Jean ruffled his hair, his fingers running through Eren's hair easily and he began walking back with Farlan and Levi.

Levi said few words during it all, not able to meet Eren's eyes. He felt like a stupid child with a dumb crush. He knew better, he knew he shouldn't like this boy. He had only just met him, he shouldn't care that Eren had a boyfriend. He shouldn't care that his boyfriend was some dumb gay soccer playing twink. He walked between Farlan and Jean, hands stuck into his pockets.

 

The walk was silent between Isabel and Eren. She was quieter than usual. Well, he thought that until she opened her mouth, huffing a sigh before saying something. "So, like, are you and Jean... are you guys like, dating?" She asked. Eren felt his face go flush as he looked over at Isabel. She had a set look of concentration on her face, looking forward while her arms crossed over her chest.  
  
He opened his mouth only to close it again. "No," he said after a moment. "No, we're not. Neither of us are dating anyone at the moment. I mean... we did back in high school? Well, kind of? We were in high school. I don't think it counted. But at the moment, no, we're not. Why do you ask?"

  
Isabel pursed her lips thoughtfully. Levi could be such a drama queen. Eren and Jean weren't even dating. She should have known Levi would take their relationship and turn it into something it wasn't, simply because he was scared to approach someone out of the blue and attempt to get close to them. He would never admit he was scared, but Isabel knew him well enough. Too well, sometimes.  
  
"No particular reason. I was just curious." Isabel remarked with a small smile on her face.  


* * *

  
  
Farlan and Jean were in the small dorm kitchen making the three of them some food, Jean was perched in a chair while Farlan stood watching over the mac and cheese on the stove. "I'm curious... are you and Eren dating?" Farlan asked out of nowhere and Jean fidgeted a little, surprised by the sudden question.  
  
"Umm... no? It's complicated I guess. I mean, no we aren't dating right now. We dated in high school... but not right now." He replied, a blush falling across his cheeks.  
  
Levi leaned back quietly against the wall just outside where he was hiding from the two boys in the kitchen, running a hand through his black uppercut. They weren't even dating, not technically. Maybe Levi did have a shot. Just maybe.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just an ordinary day with the Ereri train cargo being loaded ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Levi roleplayed by thy_undertaker  
> Eren roleplayed by queenofrulers  
> all other characters are roleplayed by both of us
> 
> Waaa I'm so excited for the future chapters!

Eren made sure that Isabel got back to her dorm safely, waving as she shut the door and he made his way to his dorm a floor above.  
  
Everyone was probably sleeping or out partying. But his guess was that most of the people in his dorm building were out doing something. That's what usually happened on Friday nights. It wasn't his first party either. The soccer team was a rowdy bunch. Eren knew that much. As he walked into his dorm, his roommate was sitting up on his bed, the desk light flicked on and he looked up at Eren.  
  
"How was the party?" He asked, but Eren didn't answer as he shut the door. Eren ran a hand through his hair as he let out a sigh and made his way over to his bed.  
  
"Uh, well, it was good. Fun, I guess. Isabel just asked me a question as we made our way back and... Well I had the answer," he paused and he kicked off his shoes before looking back up at Marco who was staring at him with a curious but concerned expression as he shut his book. "I'm just not sure if I like the answer that I gave."

 

"Oh? What about?" Marco asked him. Eren now had his full attention, it was rare for him to be so uncertain when it came to things like that. Marco couldn't help but worry a little bit, after all they had been friends for quite some time now.  
  
He rubbed his cheek as he lightly tossed the book he had been reading onto the desk beside his bed, scooting to the edge of it.

 

Eren explained everything that happened at the party. Meeting Levi, their conversation, how Levi's demeanor shifted when Jean had entered the room and all the way up to walking her back to her dorm. It was silent between the two boys, Eren now laying on his back as he rubbed his face. He hadn't thought about this since high school.  
  
"So... maybe you still like Jean." Marco said simply. Eren groaned, glancing over at him from the corner of his eye as Marco studied him, his chin squished into the palm of his hand as he did so. "I mean, it all kind of points to that Eren. You haven't hugged Jean since like senior year at Prom. It's obvious there's still some unresolved tension."  
  
Eren sat up, his legs swinging over the edge of his bed. "But I don't _want_ to like him still. Things got way too... sucky. To put it simply. And this is college where I can expand my horizons." He extended his arms around himself to emphasize his point and Marco sighed, shrugging as he stood up and sauntered over to the bathroom. He flicked on the light before stopping to look back at Eren.  
  
"Maybe you just need some time to think about it. Could have been the alcohol for all you know."  
  
He walked in, closing the door and leaving Eren in silence. Maybe Marco was right. Maybe he did need to think it over.

 

\--

Levi trudged into class with a sigh, taking his usual seat towards the back, twirling a pencil in his fingers with his eyes fixed ahead of himself, spacing out. He felt like an idiot after yesterday and the way he had reacted. A piece of him hoped Eren wouldn't be here today.  
  
But another, larger piece, wanted him to be. Even if Eren was in love with that Jean kid or whatever... Levi still wanted to see those deep green eyes. He felt as if he could stare at them all day and never get bored. He tossed his pencil down at the table, scowling at it slightly as if the pencil had done him major harm. This was ridiculous. He seriously needed to stop with the sappy thoughts.

Eren wasn' ready to go to class. Going to class meant wasting time. Wasting time meant passing periods. Which meant more classes. Which meant lunch. And lunch meant Jean and Eren wasn't sure if he was mentally ready for that yet. He sighed, tying his converse and pulling an unbuttoned flannel over his shirt before walking out the door, rolling his sleeves up along the way.  
  
He stopped, buying coffee before walking to the seminar room where his class was held. It had been a long, restless night so hopefully the coffee would start kicking in soon. As he walked in, he took notice of someone sitting in the back and he smiled once he realized who it was. He walked up the stairs and over to him.  
  
"Hey, Levi. Can I sit here with you?"

 

Levi looked up and couldn't help staring at the beautiful boy for a moment before nodding. "Sure." He agreed. He was a bit surprised that Eren had approached him. Levi had been a bit of an ass last night.  
  
"Ah, sorry for um, yesterday. I was kind of an ass. I was just worried about Isabel." It was partially true, in a sense. He had been worried about Isabel. But it wasn't the reason that he'd been an ass, not really.

Eren shrugged, flashing Levi a half smile. "It's okay. Don'y worry about it at all. I didn't think you were being an ass. You're just protective. I understand that. A lot of us are. Of her, anyways. Especially Jean. He thinks of her like a sister. But I'm sorry, if I did anything to upset you last night. You just kind of seemed that way and I don't know if I was anything I did."  
  
He looked over after retrieving his notebook and pencil, giving a small, apologetic smile.

 

He shrugged and shook his head. "Not really. I just didn't feel well." He lied, although that was also partially the truth. Seeing the way Eren was with Jean... it had made him sick. Not because they were doing anything wrong, but Levi wanted to be the one who got to ruffle Eren's hair and stand that close to him. If anything, he'd say he was jealous of their relationship. His own jealousy had made him sick.

 

"Oh," Eren's eyebrows furrowed as he looked away and around at the lecture hall that was half full of students. "Well, it seems that you're feeling better. That's good."

 

"Ah, yeah." Levi's throat suddenly went dry and his hands felt clammy. The aura around them was so awkward and tense... it was a little unnerving. _You really fucked up this time._ He thought to himself with an inward groan.  
  
Suddenly, an angel swooped in with giant invisible wings.  
  
"Good morning, you two." Isabel greeted them with a great big smiling, joining the two of them.

 

Eren looked up from the message on his phone to see Isabel and he smiled back at her, taking a drink of his coffee. "You're in a particularly good mood today." Eren noted and she looked over at him, a large smile still on her face. "Why's that?"  
  
She shrugged, a little knowing smirk on her face. "Oh, no reason. Today is just a great day and it's going to be a great day. I know it. I can /feel/ it." Eren gave a concerned face, protesting as she took his coffee and took a drink.  
  
"Well not if you drink all my coffee." Isabel laughed before directing her attention to a particularly quiet Levi.  
  
"And how are you Levi?"

 

Levi shrugged, propping his head up on his hand and letting his elbow on the table. "Fine, I suppose." He replied, but the dark lines and natural shadows under his eyes were even darker and more prominent than usual, indicating he had been even more restless the night before. He had been up until 5am this morning, rolling around in bed and wishing he could fall asleep... except a certain brunette with big green eyes had kept invading his mind. It wasn't entirely unwelcome, but made it impossible to sleep.

 

Isabel didn't believe Levi one but she didn't press in his lies. She could easily see through him and she turned her attention to Eren. She smiled at him, earning a smile back and he groaned as took his coffee once again.  
  
"Isabel, please. I'm not your boyfriend." He snatched it back away from her and she raised her eyebrows, leaning on her elbows. Her chin resting in both hands as she gave a look that didn't seem anything but bad.  
  
"I don't have a boyfriend my dear, sweet, innocent Eren." She patted his head and his lips curled up into a confused snarl as he moved his head away, his hand petting at his hair.  
  
"You know better than to touch my hair. Everyone knows better." He gave her a slight pout.

"And why's that?" Isabel prompted.

"Huh?" Eren asked as he backed away from Isabel with both hand on his head as he guarded his hair from her. "Oh, uh," he paused. No one had ever really asked him for a legit reason for this question. "I'm not really sure. It's just something I've grown up with. There are only specific people who can, but even them it's an iffy subject." He lowered his hands.  
  
"There has to be some real kind of reason though," Isabel said curiously.  
  
He shrugged, staring down at his hands has he visibly swallowed. "My mother, she used to do it to me all the time as a kid. She always claimed that it was soft, silky and she would do it whenever I was crying over something or I couldn't get to sleep. She would run her hands through my hair to soothe me. But, in high school she died and I... I rarely, well I _never_ let anyone touch my hair because If I did, then I knew that I would start thinking of her and start crying."  
  
Isabel stared at him, a heartbroken look crossing her face before looking over at Levi, her jaw dropped open as Eren stared at his hand.

 

Somehow, that sad story mad Levi's chest tighten and ache, the look on Eren's face as he stared at his hand even more unbearable, causing the ache in his chest to intensify. "It's not easy losing a parent." He mused sadly. He understood Eren's pain all too well.  
  
He had never known a father and had grown up being raised by single mother for almost 7 years. She had died of cancer in his seventh year and he was taken into several foster homes before being adopted by Farlan's family. He had considered them his real family; Farlan his real brother, for a long time.

 

Eren sucked in a sharp breath, his mind fleeting back to old memories of his mother and her caring smile. It had been a long time since he had thought about her this deeply, a long time since he had thought back to old memories he had locked away because he knew what would happen if he thought about them once again.  
  
And it was happening.  
  
His chest squeezed, his heart aching and he closed his eyes before standing up on wobbly legs. "I-I'll be right back." He said quietly and made his way out of the doors off to the side.

 

Levi was a little shocked but him suddenly up and leaving and he wondered briefly for a moment if he should go comfort him and apologize for bringing it up, even though he hadn't known there was such a deep story behind it. He looked up to Isabel, as if she would know what was running through his mind.  
  
It was exactly like she did and she shook her head. He leaned back in his seat with a sigh, grateful she knew him so well.

Eren felt stupid after a moment, taking a breather, pacing back and forth in the hallway before finally gaining the courage to walk back in. He knew he shouldn't have walked out, but he didn't exactly want to cry in front of his friends. He never did that. He bounded up the stairs back to the two of them.  
  
"Sorry. I'm okay. I promise. Just needed a breather," he sent a smile to both of them.  
  
"Are you sure?" Isabel asked.  
  
He nodded with another smile. "Promise. You didn't do anything wrong. You were just curious. It happens. Don't worry about it," he bumped her knee with his and she smiled before rambling on about something as they switched the subject about the topic at hand in the class.

 

Levi spaced out a little as they talked, joining in on their conversation every now and again when Isabel said something to him. He was swimming in his own thoughts and guilt, something he did quite frequently although most people didn't realize it. As the time crew closer to the beginning of class, Isabel wandered away to talk to a few people. Now was Levi's chace to talk to Eren.  
  
"Hey, I'm sorry about bringing that up before. I... well I'm kind of oblivious sometimes." He admitted a little sheepishly, rubbing the nape of his neck with a slight awkwardness about it as he leaned back in his seat.

Eren looked over at him. "Oh, no, no, no. Don't feel bad at all. It's totally fine. My brain just gets a little carries away sometimes. I'm not upset about it at all. Promise." Eren gave him a reassuring smile as he turned his body to face Levi. "Also, I realized I never got your number before we left the party." He pulled out his phone, scrolling through the messages he had received and looked back at Levi. "You know, this way we can keep in touch easier. I mean, if you're okay with that."

 

Levi glanced down at the phone held in Eren's hands, a little surprised at the request. Levi personally hated using phones unless it was avoidable. Only Farlan, Isabel, his father, and his uncle knew his phone number as he hated giving it out. But for Eren, he could make another exception.  
  
"Okay, sure." He agreed, pulling out his own and going into his contacts, clicking on 'Add new contact' and holding the phone out to Eren so he could input his information.

 

Eren took it with a grin, typing away at the keyboard expertly, adding a stupid emoji next to his name before saving it. "I always put emojis next to my name, I hope you don't care. It's just a stupid habit I do whenever I get someone's number." The phone buzzed in his hand and he looked down to see Isabel's name sprawled across the top.  
  
"Oh, hey, looks like you got a message from Isabel."

 

He shrugged. "I don't mind. What does it say?" He asked, not even thinking about what exactly Isabel might be sending him. Especially since she had a clear view of the two ad it was obvious Eren had his phone right then. He wondered what Eren had put his contact name in as, and what exactly the emoji was he'd used. He bet it was something ridiculous stupid, yet adorably cute.

Eren raised his eyebrows at Levi before looking back down at the message with an amused look on his face. "Well, um, it says in call caps, 'are you guys really exchanging numbers? I'm so proud of you. Get... dat ass." He snorted, looking back at Isabel who gave him a wolfish grin and a playful shrug before turning back to Levi. "Wow, she really does like messing with you, doesn't she?"

 

Levi snorted, rolling his eyes and shooting Isabel an annoyed face. "That little shit." He huffed, feeling a little flustered. She had definitely planned that.  
  
After Eren finished putting in his number and gave the phone back to Levi, the first thing her did was text Isabel:

 

**Asses are dirty because of little shits like you.**

Isabel snorted loudly, earning about half of the class's attention, but thankfully not the professor's and Eren couldn't bite back the grin he gave to her before over at Levi who looked a little annoyed. He laughed inwardly at the strangeness of the message she had sent to Levi, assuming that it was some joke that the two of them had with each other.  
  
The rest of class went by like that, not that Eren really minded. He did actually, by some miracle, payed decent attention in class to know that their homework was. He would have to get some of the notes that he missed from another student. He turned to Levi once they were dismissed.  
  
"What class do you have next?"

 

Levi was too distracted by the boy next to him to take his usual detailed and precise notes. He managed to take some, but they weren't up to his usual standard. What the hell was even wrong with him? There was nothing special about Eren except the fact that he was kind of perfect, to Levi anyways. He groaned silently.  
  
He thought for a moment. "Psychology. How about you?"

 

Eren made a face of discomfort at the thought of his next class. "Physics. God I hate that class, but I share it with a couple friends so it's not so bad." His phone buzzed and he unlocked the screen to view the message as Isabel approached them.  
  
"Alright losers, let's go. Levi, you're buying me coffee." She pulled on his arm as she tried to drag him to the exit. "Eren, you wanna come too? Well before you have to go to your smarty class." She took notice of the crooked smile on his face as he typed a message on his phone before looking up.  
  
"What?" She raised an eyebrow. He hadn't been listening to her, tuning her out as he replied to the message. "Oh, yeah, sure. If you don't mind. It's on the way to my next class anyways."

 

Levi couldn't help but glance at Eren and wonder what was so interesting on his phone. Levi looked away and negative thoughts about himself twiddled around the edges of his mind.  
  
"Tch. Why should I have to buy you coffee?" He asked the girl with a roll of his eyes. She had dragged him to that party unwillingly after all.

 

Eren stood and waited with Levi as Isabel walked up to the counter to buy coffee after she had practically took Levi's money from his wallet. He wasn't too happy about that, but he let it slide.  
  
"Are you doing anything for lunch?" Eren asked after a moment, glancing down at Levi. "If not, you wanna join me?"

 

Levi had been watching Isabel buy them coffee, his thoughts sort of wandering. He was brought back to the present at Eren's words, a little surprised by them. "Oh, uh, no, I mean yes, I mean..." He stopped and took a deep breath. "No I don't have plans, yes I will join you." he finally managed, feeling a little bit flustered.

 

Eren laughed a little at Levi's stumble, but gave him a genuine smile when he agreed. "Awesome. Maybe we can study together because I didn't really understand what we're supposed to be doing? I mean, I got the notes, but you think you could help me with it?" He rubbed the back of his neck. He hated asking help with things, but he felt as though Levi would actually be helpful.

A small smile flickered across Levi's face, and he nodded. "Sure, it's a pretty easy concept once you wrap your mind around the basics." He agreed.  
  
Isabel finally came tottering back with their drinks, a grin on her face. "You better not have switched my tea out again." Levi murmured suspiciously as he took his drink from her, watching her with narrowed eyes. She giggled and shook her head.  
  
"Of course not,"

" _I_ don't even believe that." Eren said and she turned to him, her eyebrow raised.  
  
"Okay, well fine. Levi, why don't you just let Eren taste it first just to make sure it's tea."

 

Levi raised an eyebrow at Isabel, shooting a glance over to Eren. What, did she think he was some juvenile idiot who would fall over at the whole 'indirect kiss' thing like he would have in high school? Hardly.  
  
"You like tea?" He asked in slight amusement, but also a little annoyed with his best friend.

 

Eren shrugged. "I usually drink if when I have a big project I'm staying up late for. It's something that relaxes me when I'm stressed. I went through gallons of it in high school." He took the cup from Levi's hand, their fingers brushing slightly and he raised it to his face, taking a small sniff before taking a sip of the drink, the liquid smooth as it ran down his throat. "Definitely tea." He handed it back. "Also you might want to wipe that off because I forgot I had put chapstick on."  
  
Isabel snorted. "Smooth. No wonder you don't have a girlfriend yet."

 

Levi glared at Isabel pointedly. "Seriously, why do people assume men can't wear chapstick? It's irritating." he mused gruffly in an irritated tone as he raised the cups to his lips and took a drink. The tea wasn't bad, but it wasn't the best black tea he'd ever had or anything like that.  
  
"Okay, Levi. That has nothing to do with it. A woman just doesn't want her lipstick to mingle with her boyfriend's. You're too gay to understand, I guess." She sighed. Levi's cheeks felt a little warm.  
  
"Was that really necessary?" He couldn't look at Eren and distracted himself with taking the lid off of his drink and blowing on it, something he never did.  
  
"Absolutely." She replied with a smirk.

"Well, it's the same thing if my boyfriend was wearing chapstick," Eren said. "I wouldn't want his mixing with mine. What if they're different flavors? That could end up in some gross shit."  
  
"Have you ever even kissed a boyfriend with chapstick?" She asked, taking a drink of her coffee.  
  
"Is the sky blue?"  
  
"Duh."  
  
"Well then why are you asking me stupid questions. Of course I've kissed someone wearing chapstick. But the worse is when I'm wearing it too," he shivered. "I once dated this guy who always had something on his lips. And he was a bad kisser. That lasted like, two months." Isabel snorted, agreeing with him and earned a scowl in reply.

 

Levi grimaced. He didn't have a lot of experience in the kissing department but that just sounded gross.  
"You two are gross me out." He remarked, replacing his lid. Sure, he'd kissed people and what-not, but never in the sense of dating. He'd had a few one night stands and he hadn't really enjoyed being touched by those men.

Isabel rolled her eyes and wrapped an arm around him. "Oh, whatever Levi. You love us and our gross talks. We're just bonding." Eren scoffed in amusement and grimaced as well.  
  
"Yeah, because nothing says friendship like gross conversations about kissing and chapsick." He gave a sarcastic thumbs up and Isabel rolled her eyes once again, removing her arm from around Levi. "I have to go, though, before I'm late. I'll see you at lunch," he pointed to Levi before waving as he walked off.

 

Levi rolled his eyes along with them, lifting his hand in goodbye. "See you, Eren." He murmured as he lowered the cup from his lips and turned his attention back on Isabel. "You are a little shit." he murmured. Isabel just shrugged, but a curious grin appeared on her face.  
  
"Ooh, what's at lunch?" She inquired curiously, leaning as close to Levi as she could without knocking him over.  
  
"None of your business."  
  
"Come on, tell me!" Isabel whined, sticking out her bottom lip in a pouting face.  
  
"No."  
  
They continued like this for a few minutes longer until they had to leave for their next classes, Levi sighing with exasperation but fully looking forward to having lunch with Eren.

 

\--

 

Eren couldn't be more relieved when it was finally time for lunch. He was starving. And on top of that he wasn't having any of his classes today. They all sucked more than usual and he groaned more than he cared to admit during his two classes before lunch. As he slung his backpack over his shoulder, he waved at his friends who had made other plans for lunch.  
  
He made his way to the lunch room, buying a slice of pizza before sitting at an empty table near the back with a sigh of relief as he sat down, not touching his food for a moment.

 

Levi had purchased a sandwich and a cup of tea and looked around, finally spotting Eren at a back table. He slid into the chair across him, yawning a little and sipping at his second cup of tea for the day. "Afternoon." He greeted, poking a little at his own sandwich. He suddenly felt nervous and his appetite had escaped him.

 

"Oh, hey Levi." Eren offered a smile as he took a bite of the pizza. It was just them for lunch, thankfully enough for Eren, Jean had other things he needed to do. Not that Eren didn't mind being alone with Levi. They had been alone a few times already ever since they met at the party. "How are you?"

 

He shrugged. "Same as always. You?" Was his reply as he picked gingerly at the sandwich before him before he actually took a cautious bite, hoping that his stomach would not churn and decide it needed to come back up.

 

"Well what's the 'same as always' for you?" Eren mused with air quotes and a raised eyebrow. "You look _really_ grossed out by that sandwich and it's honestly concerning me." He laughed a little as he took a bite of his pizza once again, eyeing it. It was certainly better than the cardboard soaked in grease that they served in high school. He placed it back down on the plate, picking up his water bottle.

 

He grimaced at the sandwich. "It isn't very appealing." he admitted, looking up at Eren with a small sheepish smile. "But I suppose the same as always... I guess kind of there... I don't sleep much so days tend to drag a bit." Levi explained. He was a chronic insomniac and really didn't sleep hardly at all, a few hours if he was lucky on any given night.

 

Eren felt bad for him. Not sleeping sucked, or having bad sleep. But insomnia? Eren couldn't imagine. He used to wake up crying or to horrible nightmares the first few months after his mom died. He slept in his sister's room during that time. Having someone with him always made him feel better.

 

"Oh, dude, that sucks. I'm sorry. I can't imagine no sleep. I think there are some like weird methods for people with insomnia? I don't know. My sister takes psychology and whatnot because she wants to be like a psychologist or whatever." He stared at his food, pushing it away.

 

"You want the rest of my food?" He had a fruit cup and a cheese stick. He was sure that Levi wouldn't want his half eaten pizza slice.

 

Levi shook his head. "Nah, I'm fine. I usually just settle for my tea." He admits. "I've been an insomniac since I was a child, it's not a big deal." the raven-haired man shrugged it off. He took psychology as well, but he didn't bother with any of their 'methods'. The ones he had tried never worked for him. "So, what did you need help with?" He asked, offering a small smile.

 

"Oh, right." Eren pulled out the assignment and moved so that he was sitting right next to Levi, their legs almost touching. "Well, I didn't really understand what he was trying to explain here because whatever happened here would have an effect here, but how would that work?" He moved his finger along the paper, pointing and explaining. "I guess I could have just asked the professor?" He sat back and scratched his head.

 

Levi held a finger up, leaning over the table with his cup held precariously in his other hand as he read over what Eren had pointed to, attempting not to be distracted by Eren's close proximity. After a few moments he finally began explaining to Eren exactly how everything worked. Levi was one of the top students and easily excelled in the majority of his classes.

 

He rested his arm on the back of Levi's chair in a more comfortable way as he leaned in with Levi, watching, listening, and looking over everything as Levi explained. He made it so simple. "Oh my god, that makes _way_ more sense than how the professor explained it." He looked over at Levi, not quite fazed by the proximity. "Thanks Levi." He grabbed his pencil and turned to his notes as he wrote down things Levi had explained so that he would know how to do the homework correctly.

 

"No problem." Levi smiled, but he was finding it harder and harder not to be distracted by Eren's proximity with every passing second. He couldn't help but frequently steal sly glances of the green-eyes brunette every now and then. It was simply too tempting to pass up. It was as if the closer Levi got, the more brilliant and perfect Eren got.  
  
Isabel caught the dissipating awkwardness of the two as she walked into the room and she gave Farlan a devilish grin, finding a hiding spot near them for the two to eavesdrop on the two boys. She couldn't help but giggle quietly on occasion. Farlan grinned and occasionally roll his eyes. His older brother was hopeless.

 

"You wanna join me in the library to study together? You helped a lot with this and I'm sure it would be a fun time. You're a pretty cool dude, so I think it would be fun." Eren offered a smile, turning back to the notes. "Are you up for it?"  
  
Isabel smacked a hand over her mouth at the smile Eren gave to Levi. It wasn't anything special, but she knew that it would be to Levi. That and the fact that Eren wanted to study together with Levi. Isabel would certainly make him go with the small chances that he said no.

 

Eren's smile made Levi feel giddy, his pulse racing. He took in a deep breath before answering to make sure he wouldn't sound like some overeager little girl with some juvenile crush... but essentially, that's _exactly_ what he was. "Sure, I wouldn't mind. I'm good at this kind of stuff." He admitted with a smile, his fingers fumbling a little as he tried to turn the page. He quickly withdrew them, hoping Eren hadn't caught that.

 

Eren's smile widened and he turned to Levi excitedly. "Awesome! Thank you. I can't wait because, while you're good at this, I suck at it. It'll be nice to actually have someone who knows what they're doing helping me." He gathered his things, moving back to his seat where his backpack was. He grabbed his tray of unfinished food and walked over to a garbage can to throw it away.  
  
Isabel was more than glad that Eren hadn’t seen her because she didn't have an excuse and Levi would murder her. But she was excited that Levi had agreed and doubly excited that Eren was happy Levi had said yes. "You're like obsessing over your two closest friends." Farlan pointed out and she shrugged.  
  
"Well, they're cute and he makes Levi happy. If Levi is, then I am too."

 

Levi couldn't help but allow his smile to break free as Eren walked away. He was practically drunk in Eren's presence and bathed in it. Could it be a good sign that Eren was inviting him to be around him constantly? He liked to think so. He wasn't positive, though. He'd never liked anyone except Erwin way back in high school, and that had been a brief and fruitless thing.  
  
"So what do you need the most help in?" Levi asked as Eren came back from throwing his trash away and sliding back in to the seat next to him.

 

"Well, most of my classes I understand, some more than others honestly. But the one we have together is proven to be the most difficult. I mean, I don't know how good you are with calculus, but there's some of that." Eren grabbed a piece of gum, popping it into his mouth before offering some to Levi. "I took up to like pre-calculus in high school. Hated it. Almost dropped out too."  
  
"He's offering Levi gum!" Isabel squealed quietly and Farlan rolled his eyes. "He doesn't even take mints when I practically force them on him." Farlan snorted.

Levi took a piece with a smile, unwrapping it and popping it into his mouth, chewing it thoughtfully. It was fruity gum. He should have known. He wasn't fond of anything like gum or mints, but it wasn't so bad when they came from Eren. Somehow, they almost tasted pleasant.  
  
"Ah, yeah I hear that a lot. It can be pretty difficult if you don't get it the first time around." He mused with a nod. "I'm pretty good at calculus, math comes to me fairly easily." He admitted, abandoning his tea with a scrunch of his nose. Fruit gum and black tea weren't exactly a harmonious combo.

Eren fist pumped the air. "Thank my guardian angel because I may have found another." Eren exclaimed, holding his arms in the air. "You are my _savior,_ Levi." Eren said with a big smile. He paused for a moment. "Wait are you chewing fruit gum with tea?" His nose scrunched.  
  
"He took the gum!" Isabel squealed in a hiss, more surprised than questioned. She noticed the smile on both of their faces and Farlan had to clap a hand over her mouth to silence the almost scream she let out. "This is good. This is great! Progress!"  
  
" _What_ in the _fuck_ are you doing?" Farlan and Isabel turned their heads from Eren and Levi to see Jean with a confused look on his face as he stared down at his two friends.

 

Levi blushed a little at his words, suddenly feeling extremely flustered. "Oh-uh-it-it's nothing." He stammered, looking down at his hands which fidgeted in his lap slightly. "But yeah, no. It's a gross mix." He finally said with a grimace. It really was one of the worst combinations with tea he'd ever had. "Don't combine them."  
  
Isabel's eyes grew as wide as saucers and she shushed Jean who refused to be quiet. Finally, she practically tackled Jean and clamped a hand over his large mouth, irritated. She was going to be furious if he had ruined everything! Fortunately, the two boys seemed so encompassed in their own world that they didn’t notice a thing happening just behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! Please leave kudos if you enjoyed it and comments are much appreciated and always responded to!
> 
> our tumblrs:  
> http://thy-undertaker.tumblr.com/  
> http://queenofrulers.tumblr.com/


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so we have officially decided this fic will be updated on tuesdays/wednesdays(It was supposed to be tuesday, but I'm late oops)

The week had gone by smoothly. Eren and Levi had started meeting up on a regular every other day basis. Eren was happy that he was becoming friends quickly with the shorter boy. From what he knew from Isabel and Farlan, Levi wasn't much the social type and didn't have many friends so it was something else that Levi had become friends with Eren so quickly. Levi was a huge help to Eren and Eren payed him back in jokes and horrible black tea that they served in the cafeteria.  
  
Eren was currently waiting for Jean at the end of his soccer practice, sitting on the cold bleachers with his arms crossed over his chest as he watched him run across the field, Farlan passing the ball to Jean as Jean scored a goal. Eren felt something swell in his chest as his eyes stuck to Jean's large and prideful smile at his success and Eren couldn't help but smile himself. The two players high fived before they gathered around their coach. Eren stood up, walking down the metal steps without the knowledge that Levi was there as well.  
  
Well, that was until Jean stopped what he was doing and kicked a ball, with almost all the might that he could and it came flying to the bleachers. He had an angry look settled on his face and Eren couldn't focus on that when there was an ear-piercing scream from someone else on the other bench.

 

Levi was sitting among the cool metal bleachers, a blanket thrown over his lap to keep out the cool wind. Isabel sat beside him and chatted idly, attempting to draw Levi into conversation but he just sighed, completely uninterested and disengaged. His mind was wandering a little on a certain green-eyes brunette...  
  
Well, speak of the devil.  
  
Levi could see him just on the other side of the bleachers and he smiled a little at the view, not even considering why Eren would be there. Levi himself was there for Farlan's practice, him and Izzy usually came and sat through them.  
  
But the next thing Levi knew, he was falling backwards, his ears ringing and something warm and sticky gushed all over his face. He spluttered and it took him a moment to regain his bearings. Isabel gave an ear-shattering shriek of surprise. He'd been so distracted by the sight of Eren, he hadn't even seen the soccer ball that came right towards his face.

 

"Oh my god Levi! Are you okay?!" Isabel asked frantically, Farlan, Eren, and the coaches rushing over to him. The ball had struck Levi square in the nose, causing blood to gush out everywhere on his shirt as Isabel tried to pull him up. Eren helped her, wrapping Levi's arm around his neck to pull him up to the bench. Farlan was there, pushing past them all to make sure that he was okay. "There's so much blood! Oh my god, oh my god. We need to take him to the infirmary."  
  
"Jean." One of the coached snapped. He looked over. "You're taking him. Go. Now. Then we'll talk." Jean simply nodded, grabbing Levi and wrapping an arm around his neck as he and Eren carried him to the infirmary with Isabel following. Farlan was forced to stay, much to his dismay. They made it, Eren saying nothing as Levi's head had fallen on his shoulder and they carefully placed him on the bed while Isabel called for the nurse.  
  
Without a word, Eren yanked on Jean's arm and pulled him out of the room violently before shutting the door, the sound echoing through the corridor.

 

Numerous times Levi began spluttering angry curses and tried to rip himself out of Jean's grip, glaring and spitting at him more than a few times on the way there. It was that bastard, he _knew_ Jean had done it on purpose. "You... little... fucking... shit." He gurgled through the mouthful of blood he'd gotten out of his nose. It was disgusting. There was so much blood coming out of his nose and making its way into his nose. He spat some out onto the paper beside him as they attempted to stop the flow, but the blood just kept on pouring. Levi felt a little dazed. That little fucker could kick.  
  
"What are you all pissed off about?" jean snapped as Eren dragged him out of the room and slammed the door behind him, his gaze dark and annoyed. Why the hell was Eren even mad?!

 

Eren stared at Jean incredulously. "You seriously have the audacity to ask me why I'm so mad." Eren was baffled. "You did that on purpose and you know it!"  
  
Jean scoffed, crossing his arms and he stood up a little straighter, gaining him two inches on Eren. "Why the fuck would I waste my time on doing that?"  
  
"I don't know. You tell me Jean. You're the one who fucking did it."  
  
Isabel worried a little as the muffled angry voices from the hall, turning her attention to a now sulking Levi as the nurse cleaned him up. Thankfully nothing was broken, but it was going to be a bit sore and swollen. He had a busted lip and his skin was slightly skinned with blood. Isabel sat next to him, rubbing his back as the nurse continued to do her job. "Are you okay?" She asked softly, still listening to the muffled voices of Jean and Eren.

 

"I'm fine." He grumbled, wiping some more blood off of his face before standing on slightly wobbly legs and going over to the door, opening it harshly. If looks could kill, Jean would have evaporated right then and there.  
  
"What in the ever-loving fuck, Kirstein? Do you have a fucking problem with me?" He asked in a low, dangerous voice as he grabbed the shirt of the boy in front of him. Jean might have been quite a bit taller, but the fuck did Levi care? He could easily be more intimidating than someone of Jean's height, and this little dick didn't scare him one bit.

"Levi, no!" Isabel yelled after him. She stopped in the doorway with large eyes as he pulled Jean down.  
  
"Do you have a fucking problem with _me_?" Jean snarled back, pushing Levi away from him with dark eyes. The last time Eren had seen that look in Jean's eyes was in high school. And it wasn't a good one. It was one that rarely came across Jean no matter how angry he got.  
  
It was a look of hatred.  
  
"I didn't do shit to you, shorty. It was an accident. It's not my fucking fault that you can't pay attention when there's a god damn ball flying at your face!" Isabel cowered as she watched the two of them fight, looking to find some sort of help from Eren.

  
"That's fucking bullshit and you know it!" Levi growled. While his voice was filled with rage and fury, his hooded grey gaze held no emotion, a mask that was impossible to read. It was a very dangerous face. An angry face would be safer to receive from the short man.  
  
"Prove it!" Jean shouted back. Levi didn't hesitate and the next moment jean was pinned against the wall, his arm at Jean's throat. Levi stared up into Jean's eyes without a sense of fear or anything, blood smeared all over his face, his split lip was swollen and still bleeding. His calm was eerie.  
  
"What a fucking coward. And you know it. You know it so well that you can't even admit your cowardice. Are you... scared of something?" Levi asked, tilting his head slightly. By scared, he meant of Levi possibly stealing Eren away from him.

 

Jean stared at Levi with such hatred is scared Eren. "I can't be scared if you can't do anything." Jean sneered. "You're the one that's scared and we both know that. At least I can actually _do_ something about it instead of sit and stare." Jean punched Levi in the stomach, surprising the other boy enough that Jean could escape, grabbing his arm and pinned it behind his back in the same time he slammed Levi into the wall.  
  
"Stop it!" Eren yelled, punching both of them in the side and he shoved Jean away as Isabel rushed over to check on Levi. "That's enough! I don't know what the fuck either of you are talking about, and frankly I don't care." Eren's stern and loud voice carried easily through the corridor and Jean was surprised that Eren had even yelled. Before he was just raising his voice at Jean, but this was a yell. Eren rarely ever yelled. His eyes were set in a dark anger, but it wasn't the same as the kind that Levi and Jean held for each other.

 

Levi clutched at his stomach where Jean had punched him, leaning against the wall for support, allowing his eyes to close and head to fall back against the wall behind him. Fuck. As much as he hated Jean, he knew he was right. There was nothing Levi could do, and it was so obvious that Eren was not interested in Levi. Not lie that anyways. Levi had lost to Jean even before they'd ever met and he knew it. But he didn't want to face that, refused to accept it.  
  
Isabel didn't completely understand the situation before her, but she had a niggling feeling she knew what Jean and Levi had been fighting about and why Jean had kicked the ball into Levi's face. She rushed over to Levi's side, grabbing his arm as she was afraid he was about to pass out. "Levi?" She asked cautiously. He shook off her arm and didn't say anything, his head pounding with a ferocious migraine.

There was a still silence, filled to the brim with tension thick enough to slice with a machete. "Jean, you can leave." Eren said after a moment, not meeting the other's gaze. "You need to talk to the coach anyways." Jean's mouth opened, but when Eren looked up at him, pain and disappointment swimming around in the eyes he loved so much, he stopped. "Go." It wasn't harsh, but Jean knew from experience that it was sternness mixed with a broken Eren.  
  
He didn't give another glance behind him as he let out the doors, the silence loosening up. "Levi," Eren said after a moment, but he wasn't really sure what to say. He glanced at Isabel, who stared at Levi with a look of sympathy before up to Eren. She shrugged and shook her head.  
  
"I'll go make sure that he makes it back to practice." She said softly. Placing her hand softly on Levi's arm before brushing it away. "I have to tell Farlan that you're okay anyways. I'll meet up with you guys after." Eren nodded and she left after Jean before it was just Eren and Levi.

 

Levi sighed and finally opened his eyes when they were alone. He regarded Eren for a moment, the beautiful boy who he had not been able to get his mind off of for a week now. A long silence filled the air before them before Levi reached up and gingerly wiped at the blood on his face with his sleeve. His nose had begun bleeding again with all of the sudden excitement. He didn't know what to say to Eren, he didn't have anything to say. What else could he say?  
  
He glanced away, unable to meet the boy's gaze any longer. If he did, he might not be able to keep his secret any longer.

 

Eren was never good in these situations. Maybe if he had actually talked to Levi's months prior when he first noticed the other boy in his class, maybe he would have the right words to say in comfort. But he didn't. He swallowed thickly, his words thinking back to Jean and Levi's fight and he desperately wanted to know what caused so much beef between his complicated best friend and new found friend.  
  
"C'mon," he said quietly, pulling at Levi's sleeve to pull him back into the nurse. "You need to sit down."

 

Levi allowed Eren to pull him away from the wall and went inside. He used a napkin to stop the flow of blood and attempted to wipe some of the blood off of him but there was so much plastered to his face, neck... some of it had even managed to get down his shirt and his sleeves. "What a fucking mess." He murmured to himself with a sigh, leaning back against the wall next to the sink. It was never supposed to turn out like this.

 

"I said sit, please." Eren said and gently guided Levi to the small bed and sat him on the edge, grabbing the napkins from his hand. He grabbed some wet wipes from a drawer and pulled a chair up in front of Levi. "You're gonna have to look at me." He said softly as he brought his hand to Levi's neck and he began to wipe away some of the blood after rolling Levi's sleeves up.

 

Levi tried to shrug Eren off weakly a few times, but each time Eren grabbed him firmly and continued to wipe at the blood. "It's fine, just leave it be." Levi muttered, watching Eren even after he moved on beyond his face. He wished Eren wouldn't be so nice, would just leave him alone. His chest ached and he could feel the words pressing at his lips, laying dangerously close to the surface. And they terrified Levi.

 

It broke Eren's heart to see him like this. Each time Levi would shrug him away, or at least try, he scooted a bit closer and continued with his task. It was the same thing his mother would do to him when he got in fights at school. He wouldn't want to be touched and rather be left alone but she stayed anyways, cleaning him up and cradling him like the child he was soon after.  
  
He grabbed Levi's chin between his index finger and thumb, pulling his face up to levelly meet his eyes. His eyes that were set on silent, stern words that he hoped Levi would listen to, but also a softness that once belonged to his mother. Eren's fingers brought a cleaning wipe to Levi's face, gingerly wiping the blood away. He didn't want to cause any more pain than Levi already had. Eren's fingers lightly brushed away a strand of Levi's hair from his face, giving more access to blood stained skin.

 

"I like you." The words were out of Levi's mouth before he could stop them. He averted his gaze and clenched his jaw, embarrassed. Fuck. Why had he said that? He would ruin everything. This would ruin everything. Then again, if there was anything Levi was good at, it was turning people against him. That's one of the many reasons he knew Eren wouldn't return his feelings.

 

Eren's movements pause at the words, his heart pounding in his chest. He wasn't sure how to react to this, nor he wasn't sure what Levi exactly meant by the words. He pulled his hands away, not meeting Levi's eyes even though Levi had already looked away from him.  
  
He opened his mouth to say something as he tossed the used up wipe into the trash and grabbed another. He moved his hands back to Levi, only pausing shortly of his skin. "I like you too?" He said as more of a question. "I mean, you're a great friend and I swear I am going to kick Jean's stupid ass for doing this." He didn't move any further when he noticed Levi's clenched jaw and his hands curled into a fist in his lap. He opened his mouth to say something again, but Levi beat him to it.

 

"Not like that I-" He stopped, drawing in a breath and attempting to hold himself together, refusing to cry. He had never been much for crying, he could count on one had the number of times he had actually allowed tears to fall. This would not be one of those times.  
  
"I don't like you in the way you like me. I... I like you more than... than just a friend." He finally admitting, his hands clenched so tightly they were white and his fingernails dug into his palms, drawing little beads of blood. God, why had he admitted it?! He knew he would regret it. Knew he was about to be ripped to pieces.  
  
---  
  
 

Eren was rendered speechless. There are no words forming at his tongue. The gears in his mind stopped working. Everything is blank as he stares at the friend who had just confessed his feelings to him. He opened his mouth, desperately wanting to say something, but he couldn't. There weren't any words that could be said.  
  
There was an extremely stiff moment of silence and Eren had finally found his voice among all the thoughts running about in his head. "O—oh." He opened his mouth, making the weird sound when your voice tries to speak words that aren't formed. He sighs, running a hand through his hair multiple times before flattening it back down only to repeat the same action. His heart is hammering even harder in his chest, almost to the point that it aches. "But... why?" He finds himself asking, almost too gently, too quiet, he almost didn't hear the words himself. "Why _me_?"

 

Levi couldn't bring himself to look at Eren at first, but he realized it didn't matter. It didn't matter because the result would be the same. He might as well look at those eyes close-up one more time. He held Eren's gaze for a few moments before responding.  
  
"I've asked myself that a lot over the past week... but there are just too many reasons. I think I've made myself look like a big enough fucking idiot today that I'm not going to go down that road. My sappiness would probably disgust you." He said bluntly. He didn't care what he said anymore, it didn't matter. His eyes stung and his chest tightened so much it was painful. It was so painful he couldn't stand it. He just needed to get away, needed to put distance between him and the perfect fucking boy in front of him, but his legs disobeyed and he remained where he was.

 

Eren's gaze hardened at the insult Levi called himself. "For one, you are _not_ a fucking idiot." Eren's voice was stern despite how he felt inside. "Two, nothing you could say would disgust me unless it was some weird shit like you wanting to fuck a tree. And three," his hand squeezed Levi's knee. "Don't hate yourself, or apologize for feeling the way that you do. Because even if you don't say it, I can tell that it's there. I'm not stupid." Eren wanted to hug him, the look on his face making Eren's heart break even more, but he knew that it wouldn't be ideal for the situation at hand. Eren had been through this many a time and he hated it. He knew exactly how Levi felt, but saying those words would just have an empty meaning.  
  
And he knew that.  
  
Eren moved away, allowing the other boy space when his phone began ringing. He looked to see just who was calling and he answered it before stepping outside into the hallway.

 

Levi continued to clench his fists harder, allowing the pain in his hands to distract him from the aching in his chest. He'd never felt this before, never. Not even once. It was as if someone had used a chainsaw to open his chest and tore at his heart, but his heart just wouldn't come out. It would stay in there a torn and bloody mess.  
  
Even he knew that much.  
  
So he lay back against the bed in the nurse and just lay there, his grey eyes staring up at the sealing, glanced over and expressionless. Except that they weren't expressionless in his usual mask, more like he was numb and trying not to feel anything. And it was true, it felt as though his body was going numb. It was a horrible feeling and he hated it, but he let it happen. There was nothing he could do anyways.

 

Eren's voice was broken, hollow as he answered the phone. "Yeah?"  
  
"Eren? Eren, what's wrong?" Isabel sounded concerned and he sighed.  
  
"Levi confessed to me."  
  
The silence was heavy on the phone line. There had been too many stiff and heavy silences over the course of this past hour and Eren wanted them to stop. "Oh." Was all she said after a moment, and Eren could hear the gears processing in her mind. "How's his nose?" She asked, totally avoiding the question.  
  
"It stopped bleeding."  
  
"Okay, okay good. Farlan and I are on our way over, just make sure you keep an eye on him. Like, sit in the room with him. Don't ask why. Just do it. We'll be over there soon. Bye." With that she hung up and Eren felt large weight on his chest and shoulders like he couldn't breathe, but he walked back into the room anyways, taking notice that Levi was lying down.  
  
After he cleaned everything up, Eren sat back down in the chair that was at the foot of the bed. He thought about moving it, but he didn't. "Can I ask a question?" His voice was dry, barely carrying two feet in front of him. He watched as Levi's eyes shifted from the ceiling to his own, and he tried to mask his own broken and confused feelings but he was certain that it didn't work. "Was I the cause of the fight... between you and Jean?"

 

"No. This happened because Jean saw me looking at you." He admitted, but didn't go into detail from there. He assumed Eren could piece the puzzle together from there, it wasn't exactly a difficult puzzle and the pieces pretty much fell into place of their own accord. The fight wasn't because of Eren, it was _over_ Eren.

 

It took Eren a moment before everything clicked in his mind. The fight was _over_ him. He wasn't the cause of it. Jean was the cause of the fight starting, but it was Eren that they had a reason to fight about.  
  
Eren clenched his jaw tight enough that he was sure his teeth were going to shatter at the pressure. He wanted to say so many things but he couldn't and it wasn't like they were going to make a difference to mend Levi's broken heart anyways. Eren stopped.  
  
Did Levi think that he and Jean were _dating_? Did Jean _say_ they were?  
  
Well, it was complicated, but they weren't dating. He wasn't even sure if they were a thing? It was all too much for Eren's brain, anger and confusion taking over.  
  
"That fucking asshole." Eren muttered and stood up, pacing the room, well aware of Levi's movements as he sat up to watch Eren. "And he wonders why. He _wonders why_. Because he's an asshole. That's fucking why." Eren wasn't talking to anyone but himself, not aware that his thoughts were being voiced. "Add that to the list of reasons why it didn't work. Why it doesn’t work." Eren stopped. He let out a breath and moved to hit his forehead against the wall. " _Why?_ " He muttered quietly. Another shaken sigh left his lips and he moved so that his back was pressed against the wall.  
  
He was facing Levi, but he didn't look at him as he slid down to where he was sitting, his folded arms resting on his knees and his chin on his arm. He finally opened his eyes to meet Levi's stare.

 

Levi watched him, drinking in the sight of Eren. Somehow, he had a feeling they could not go back to the way their friendship had been over the past week. Levi knew that, so he just watched Eren and greedily attempted to implant the memory of Eren's green eyes watching him. He didn't say anything, he had nothing left to say. Not really.

 

"I'm sorry," his hands were buried in his hair and he ducked his eyes away from Levi. Eren wasn't apologizing for himself, but for Jean because he knew the other boy wouldn't do that himself. If Eren was apologizing for himself, he would be looking at Levi, he would be closer and give a reason for his apology like he had to Isabel earlier that week when he accidentally spilled her coffee. He apologized for it being his fault and not watching and he bought her another.  
  
But this one was different.  
  
Isabel and Farlan soon enough arrived, the tension hitting them for a brick wall. Farlan walked over to his older brother, checking everything to make sure that he was okay and Isabel crouched over to Eren, checking to see if he was okay. He nodded, Isabel helping him to his feet. His bid his goodbye and walked out, breaking out into a sprint once he was out the doors.

 

The moment Eren left the room, Isabel and Farlan may well have been talking to a corpse. Because that's what he felt like. A bloody, rotting corpse. He ignored his doting brother and best friend for a moment, and then a burst of rage hit him. Without even thinking, his arm went shooting out, knocking over a metal stand and then he stood, knocking everything off of the infirmary counter. Without further ado, he opened the door and slammed it behind him, leaving his friends shell-shocked in his wake as he headed back to his room. And you know what? He really didn't fucking care.

 

Eren had arrived at the dorm that he didn't want to be at, but he was and he knocked. The door opened and one of his closest friends answered it. "Eren? What are you doing here?"  
  
"Sash, who's at the door?" Eren looked up at his friends. "Eren, dude, what happened?"  
  
"Where's Jean?" He asked through breaths and the two looked at each other. "It's really important. I just, really need to see him. And don't bother lying to me Connie. You suck at lying. Where is he?" Sasha bit at her lip, crossing her arms as she looked at Connie. He knew better than to say anything, but Eren looked the most serious than he had in a long time and he caved. Eren nodded and thanked them, taking off as he ran down the stairs.  
  
Connie was right when he said that he would find Jean in a court yard by the gym, kicking a soccer ball angrily against the wall. He mumbled to himself as it flew right past him and right to Eren's feet. He stopped when he saw Eren, his heart dropping to his stomach and he turned away as he grabbed another one. Eren picked the ball up, kicking it so that it hit Jean's back.  
  
"I played soccer too, you know. I know how to kick."  
  
"What do you want?" Jean doesn't notice Eren getting closer until his foot his on the ball that Jean is about to kick.  
  
"We need to talk."

 

Jean kicked the ball out from under Eren's foot, a scowl crossing his face. "About what? I didn't do anything." He told Eren, angry and annoyed. Why was he even pissed off anyways?

 

"Jean, you know what. Don't play stupid." Jean scoffed and moved to grab another ball, but Eren was too quick and grabbed his wrists, pulling Jean close to him. "I'm not as stupid as you seem to think I am. I know why you kicked that ball into Levi's face." He punched Jean's chest, earning a groan as Jean moved back a couple steps.  
  
"Ow!  
  
"Pretty sure a ball to the face would hurt a lot worse." Eren stated.  
  
Jean's eyes narrowed, but it was a soft anger that filled them as he stared back at Eren. "I have my antics, okay?"  
  
Eren rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Some pretty shitty ones if you ask me." Jean looked away. "You almost broke his nose simply because he was _staring_ at me? Really Jean? This is a new low, even for you." Jean snapped to look at him, taking a step forward, but Eren didn't flinch. He knew Jean enough to read him like an open book. Jean wasn't going to hurt Eren. Not physically anyways.  
  
Jean opened his mouth, but no words came and his looked softened and he looked away, ashamed. "I'm sorry." He muttered and Eren watched him, watched him beat himself up inside. Eren knew Jean's antics, and given that they were stupid, and they were very stupid, Eren sighed and walked the last couple of steps before his arms wrapped around Jean. The taller boy stiffened in surprise. "I'm sorry," he muttered again, his head nuzzling into the side of Eren's neck.  
  
"I know." He pulled away, looking at Jean as their foreheads pressed together. "You just need to stop acting on your emotions and more logically because you're going to find yourself in some deep shit." Jean nodded, nothing being exchanged for a few moments. Eren did something he knew he probably shouldn't and he kissed Jean's cheek before walking away.

 

Jean stood there and watched Eren walk away with a slightly dumb founded look, reaching his hand up to the place where Eren had planted the kiss to his cheek, surprised by the action. He didn't know what was happening, or what was going on. What did that mean? What was Eren getting at?  
  
Jean let out a frustrated yell and kicked a nearby ball as hard as he could towards the wall and watched it bounce off.

 

"Eren, c'mon, you should go to class." Marco shook him slightly, but to no avail. It had been like this for practically three days. He refused to leave the dorm or his bed. Only when he needed to use the bathroom. His friends brought him food, those friends consisting of Armin and Marco and his sister Mikasa. They knew better than to pry. He had explained the night he came home so late, red eyes and hair drenched from the rain, he explained everything that had happened from the fight to kissing Jean's cheek.  
  
They tried offering words of comfort, but he shrugged them off, curling himself even further into his blankets with an aching chest and pounding brain.

 

\--

 

Over those three days, Levi grew increasingly worried and more and more miserable. He became quieter than usual, a permanent scowl etched on his face, he snapped harsher and quicker than ever before. He was like a ticking time bomb. And he really didn't give a shit anymore.  
  
Isabel knocked on Eren's door for what had to be the billionth time since yesterday, Farlan just behind her as per usual. "Eren? Eren, are you in there?" She called impatiently. She had been anxious since Eren had stopped coming to class, even to the point that she began chewing her nails. An old, disgusting habit she thought she had rid herself of. Well, apparently not completely.

 

"Eren, honey, please. Get up and move about. You need to get some fresh air, something." His older sister Mikasa. It was a tone they both knew very well. It was something that their mother would say to them on days they would spend cooped up in their rooms playing video games. He sighed and sat up, nodding a yes and he changed clothes, but he sat on his bed for what seemed like hours before he finally left.  
  
He left before lunch time, before Isabel had gone to his dorm once again. He was sure that she was there knocking at his door that he wouldn't answer. Marco would answer for him, if he was there. Someone was usually in there with him if they weren't at class and Eren was thankful for his best friends.  
  
It was no use with his phone. He had shut it off when he left Jean the day of the fight and it had been off ever since.  
  
But this time, he was out of his bed, out of his dorm, the building and he was outside. His mind was still swimming with everything possible and he couldn't calm it down. He walked down the path, a breeze sifting through his hair as he made his way to a park that had been forgotten long ago. Rarely did he ever see anyone at this park. It was one that he and his friends had come to a couple times.  
  
He sat on a swing, moving back and forth, back and forth on the swing softly as he stared out at nothing, looking around at the trees, the sky, the bustling streets that weren't that busy as people walked in and of shops. He was content with this silence, even if it was noise.

 

Levi shrugged his jacket on and stepped out into the chilly air, sighing as he made his way down a nearby path. It would take him past a park and near his favorite coffee shop, The Maria Rose cafe. Naturally, he did not go there for their coffee, but one of their workers made exceptional black tea and he could really use some right then.  
  
He neared the park as the sun began to set, and what he saw before him practically stole his breath away, both in shock and from the beautiful sight before him.  
  
There, on one of the swings, sat a beautiful golden-kissed brunette. The sunset reflected the beautiful bronze tones in his skin and heightened the beauty of his eyes so Levi was no longer sure what color they were, his hair ruffling in the wind. What was Eren doing out here? Levi had been worried sick since he'd missed three days of classes, and yet he sat here on a park swing so late in the day.

 

Eren closed his eyes as he moved back and forth on the swing that he hadn't moved from in hours. It was calming. A good place to think as he thought back on everything, sorted out his feelings that were still a tangled mess and he needed more time. Time he didn't have. His eyes opened when he heard footsteps and he looked out of the corner of his eye and his breathing stopped.  
  
Levi was staring at him. Watching him. An expression on his face that Eren couldn't quite read, but at the moment he didn't care and he moved his eyes back to where they once were staring straight forward.  
  
He didn't move as he spoke, his tone holding a small edge to it. "Take a picture. It'll last longer."

 

Levi was shocked at the words and fumbled a little, tripping over himself a bit and rubbing awkwardly at the nape of his neck, gaze snapping away from Eren.  
  
"Sorry I, um, well I didn't expect to see you hear. It was like you had died. Everyone's been worried." The words were a fumbled mess as he spoke them, but he didn't care. He was just relieved Eren was actually okay... well, kind of.

Eren could have laughed. But he knew that everyone was worried and it hadn't bothered him because he as too far gone with his thoughts and emotions. "Close enough." Was all he said, not sparing another glance to the other boy because there wasn't any point. There wasn't even any point to speaking to him because all of his words would be meaningless, empty and hollow.  
  
Just like his chest at the moment.

 

The sight of Eren before him tore his heart to pieces and he buried his face in his hands. "I'm so sorry, Eren. I'm so so sorry.I should have kept my f*cking mouth shut. I should have just pretended like I didn't fall for you. This is all my fault and I'm sorry." He gasped, his eyes burning with unshed tears.

 

Eren wasn't all that surprised to hear this from Levi, seeing that Jean had done the same thing three days ago. Of course, it was with different words and it was _Jean_ after all, but the words held the same basic meaning. He felt his heart tug a bit at the sound of Levi's strained voice, but he didn't move and instead closed his eyes. He didn't know what to say to this, he didn't when Jean had done this. Instead, he held Jean for a long time. It was the reason why he had come home at one in the morning.  
  
He opened his eyes along with his mouth, but nothing happened and he pressed his lips into a thin line. "You didn't do anything. Don't apologize for something you didn't do."

 

Levi dropped his hands and looked at Eren. "Give me a chance." He blurted out of nowhere. "Give me a chance to fix this and make you happy. A game, if you will. Give me... a month to try and get you to fall for me. In the end, it is all up to you. But please give me a chance." He pleaded.

 

He heard the the crunch of gravel as Levi approached him, stopping two feet short and Levi's words rang in Eren's ears. He stopped moving, the swing creaking slightly as he did and he looked down at his hands, moving for the first time in hours before he turned to look at Levi head on, eyes meeting eyes since the last time they saw each other in the Nurses’ office. Eren couldn't quite read Levi's thoughts but he knew that his were harder to read than they have been before.  
  
He opened his mouth. "One month?" He repeated.

 

Levi froze at his words, a little bit shocked Eren was even considering it. Just the fact that Eren was considering it brought a small, barely exist smile to Levi's face, but still. It was there. It was the first time he'd smiled in three days.  
  
"One month."

 

Levi smiles, but Eren doesn't. His face is set on a concentrate look that wasn't happy, but more on the verge of sad, like he was lost in his thoughts. And he was. He looked away, back forward to the town and people and the sky, his face expressionless if you will. He nods, slowly, a movement he didn't really need to think much about.  
  
"One month." He repeats.

 

For what felt like the first time in days, Levi could feel his heart pounding wildly in his chest as he looked at Eren, almost in amazement.  
  
"And after that, I'll do anything. I'll even disappear if that’s what you want." Levi murmured. His tone was somehow etched with both giddiness and a sad melancholy note to it. The last thing he wanted was to disappear from Eren's life, but if that's what he wanted... that's what he'd do.

 

Eren shook his head. He was collecting his thoughts and after a moment, he stands up, moving after hours and his joints ache but he ignores the pain. He motions for Levi to follow him and he leads Levi to a cafe that wasn't too far away from the park and they entered, sitting at an empty booth.  
  
A silence settled between them. Eren stared out the window, watching Levi open his mouth but Eren beats him to it. "Why?" He asks, cutting Levi's words off before they could leave his mouth. He turns to look back at Levi, his eyes were set differently than they usually were. They were studying Levi in a brooding tone, staring straight into Levi's eyes.

 

Levi tipped his head, regarding Eren curiously and carefully for a few moments.  
  
"Why what?"

 

Eren pursed his lips, his eyes narrowing for a moment before returning to the expression from before. "You're wanting another chance," Eren's eyes squinted ever so lightly, "even though I didn't break the first one you offered."

 

Just then the waitress came by and Levi ordered a black tea, Eren ordered a coffee. Levi didn't answer at first, but rather took a few moments to search Eren's eyes. "And you didn’t accept either. To me, that is no different," He paused, "it didn't make it hurt any less."

 

Eren scoffed, running his tongue over the inside of his cheek and bottom lip, looking out the window instead of Levi. He looked back at Levi with a harder look. "You're right. It doesn't. It never stops hurting. I /know/. My words are probably empty to you, so I'm not even gonna try." He stopped for a minute, taking in Levi's face, his eyes. "I just hope you know what you're doing."

 

Levi let out a long, drawn out sigh. "Honestly, I don’t. I’ve never been in love and nobody has ever loved me." He paused and glanced out the window, studying the people out there for a moment before moving his grey gaze to meet Eren's green one. "But that's what will make it new and fun. Because I have never fallen for anyone the way I’ve fallen for you." Levi admitted. Normally, he would be sheepish and a little bit flustered but... not anymore.

 

Eren soaked in every one of Levi's words like a sponge. For some reason, this didn't surprise him either. Jean didn't do the same thing if that's what you were wondering. That was something entirely different and special in its own way.  
  
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, the corner of Eren's mouth twitched up ever so slightly in a faint half smile.

Seeing that smile, even as faint as it was, was a relief to Levi. He felt as if a huge load were lifted off of his shoulders. He smiled, not the usual tiny smile that could sometimes be interpreted as a grimace, but a full out smile of joy. It was something only one or two people had ever seen in his lifetime. "I'm so relieved you smiled. I was scared I wouldn't get to see it again." He admitted a little sheepishly. Just then, the waitress arrived with their drinks.

 

"Well you did just say that you love me, so it would be better than a frown, right?" Eren's smile faded away just as quickly as it came. He didn't touch his coffee as it was set in front of him. He watched as Levi' gingerly took a tip of his tea. The other boy nodded, not able to meet Eren's eyes. "And love is a dangerous game, Levi. Even when the people with the emptiest hearts knows it's dangerous because you either come out dead or alive. It's a game I fondled with and the outcome was just as worse as losing my mother. Because I was losing someone that I loved."  
  
He paused, picking up his coffee with his hand. "But the trick is not to treat it like a game, but as an experience, a new life. Something good instead of something bad." He finally took a drink, slowly, his eyes never leaving Levi's face.

 

Levi listened closely and sipped at his tea thoughtfully. He knew there was truth in his words, even though he hadn't experienced it, but that wasn't all there was to it. "Except that life is a game and there are people waiting at every corner, hoping you will fail." He paused again, searching Eren's eyes for a moment. When he spoke again, there was a newfound confidence and determination in his voice. "I won't fail. I know that I will never find anything like this again." Levi knew he would never fall for someone like this again, knew that Eren was the only exception.

 

Eren smiled, small and true. "Now I can see why Isabel likes you so much. You have a determination just like hers. It's something that I've always admired about her, it reminds me of myself. And it's something that I can admire about you."

 

Levi chuckled, raising his cup to his lips. "A determination, huh?" He mused. No one had ever said that about him, not for a long time anyways. His mother had once called him determined before she died so many years ago. His father would laugh and pick him up, setting Levi in his lap where they would talk and play the way a six-year-old and his father would.

Eren shrugged, taking a drink of his coffee. "Yeah." He let out an airy laugh. "I haven't seen someone this determined about a potential relationship since..." He stopped, trailing away from his words and his smile slipped away once again as he stared down at his coffee. After a moment, he stood up, sliding out of the booth. "We should be heading back. It's getting pretty late."

 

Levi was feeling a little flustered at this point and he nodded. "Yeah, we should. I'll walk you to your dorm." He said, taking a long drink of his tea before standing up and shrugging his jacket back on.

"Oh, you don't have to do that. It's okay." They walked out of the cafe and into the chilly air. Eren tossed his coffee away even though it was a total waste of money and crossed his arms. Not because he was cold, only a little bit, but because he didn't know what to do with his arms or hands and he thought it would be better than having them dangling awkwardly at his sides.

"I know. I want to." Levi told Eren seriously, feeling a little embarrassed. He wasn't completely sure how any of this worked, but he would damn sure try.

 

"Okay." Eren didn't bother with arguing and they walked in silence. Eren had dated before in the past, some good and bad but he wasn't really sure what /this/ was. He felt compelled to ask if they were dating or just a thing. Eren seemed to have too many /things/ with his friends.  
  
He wasn't sure if they should hold hands, or talk. Bump shoulders or stay feet away from each other.

 

Levi couldn't help but smile a little bit to himself, a small spring in his step as they walked. He never thought he would even get this far, it was like a miracle to him. He was perfectly content with the way they walked in silence, mostly because he could bask in Eren's presence and just enjoy it. "I never thought I would work up the balls to tell you." Levi finally admitted after a few minutes of walking.

 

Eren glanced over at Levi as they walked, noticing the bounce in his step and the smile on his face. It made him smile a little too. Because he was the cause of Levi's smile, his happiness. But with that, came the weight that he could be the end of it too. He didn't want that, a reason why he had contemplated on saying no, but there was no harm in trying.

  
  
"Well, it's never easy confession to someone." He admitted more to himself than to Levi. "I'm glad that you had the courage to make a move." He gave a smile to Levi. "I could have never done that." He never has either, not that he would tell Levi such a secret.

 

Levi's heart practically skipped a beat as his words and a small blush fell over his cheeks. "I wasn't going to, it just kind of slipped out. I probably could have chosen a better time though." He admitted, letting out a nervous chuckle and scratching at the back of his neck a little awkwardly. Yeah, Levi probably could have picked a million better times to confess. Well, at least his nose wasn't completely swollen anymore and the black and blue under his eyes was fading. He also had a rather nasty bruise on his stomach from where Jean had punched him, but it barely even felt tender today.

 

They made it back to the dorm, making small talk as they did so. The dorm was quiet as they walked up the stairs and to his room. He stopped in front of his door, looking back at Levi who fidgeted with his fingers. He was looking off to the side, but Eren could see all the injuries that were healing. His hand reached out slowly, hesitantly and he took a small step forward as his hand ghostly touched Levi's cheek, his thumb faintly running once over the bruise under Levi's eye, much like his mother would do to him.  
  
It made his heart hurt to think back to that day, knowing that it was essentially _his_  fault; for being a reason to fight over. He hugged Levi, his arms loose around the shorter male and he pulled away just as quickly. "Night, Levi. I'll see you tomorrow." He gave a soft smile and walked into his dorm, shutting the door quietly. His back was pressed against the door as he listened for Levi's footsteps.

 

Levi was shocked at Eren's gentle touch and even after Eren had closed the door, Levi's hands reached up to brush over where Eren's fingers had been just a moment ago. He leaned his head against the door for a moment. "Thank you." He said, knowing that Eren probably wouldn't hear him, but he didn't care. He needed to say it, because it meant so much to Levi. It meant so much to the man that Eren had given him a chance he thought he would never have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! Please leave kudos if you enjoyed it and comments are much appreciated and always responded to!
> 
> our tumblrs:  
> http://thy-undertaker.tumblr.com/  
> http://queenofrulers.tumblr.com/


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a late update! I just had surgery and life has been busy!

**Day One**  
  
Levi had barely been able to sleep the night before. A part of him wondered if it was all a dream and he was going to wake up from it, but as the dawn light filtered in through his curtains, he realized that was hardly the case. Levi could not remember the last time he had ever smiled so much as he pulled the sheets off of him and put on a sweater, jeans, and a pair of shoes before heading town to the cafe to retrieve some breakfast. He knew Isabel wouldn't be far behind and would immediately recognize the difference in his attitude and attempt to make him spill.  
  
He sat down at one of the tables with a book he'd snatched on his way out, tea and muffin on the table in front of him. But, somehow, he just couldn't focus on the black and white page before him. His mind was further off, particularly focused on a beautiful brunette.  
  
Isabel skipped along the sidewalk, her hand tangled in Farlan's as they walked to the cafe they knew they would find Levi. But it wasn't the same Levi as the day before. He had left early that morning, not waiting up for Farlan for once because Farlan hadn't been awake yet. Isabel could almost feel the difference of her best friend as she walked into the cafe. He had a smile on his face, one that hadn't been there in a long time and Isabel ran over, dragging Farlan behind her.   
  
"Why are you so happy?" Isabel asked as she dropped Farlan's hand to hug Levi from the side. "I love seeing you happy!"  
  
Farlan watched as he sat across from Levi, pulling on Isabel's arm to drag her away from his brother.   
  
Levi rolled his eyes and shrugged her off. "Don't spill my tea." He warned, taking a drink of the dark liquid and fixing her with a measured look. He carefully marked his page with his bookmark, closed it, and placed it on the table before him.  
  
"I ran into Eren yesterday." He finally admitted out loud, preparing himself for the inevitable high-pitched squeal he knew would come.  
  
"Really? Is he okay? What happened? Where was he? Where were you? You have to tell me!" She bombarded him with questions as Farlan merely raised an eyebrow, taking the coffee from the waitress with a smile. Farlan wasn't entirely sure if Levi's new found happy demeanor was because of Eren and he didn't know if it was a good thing that he had run into the other boy.   
  
Farlan and Jean weren't on tense terms anymore as they were when Jean had kicked a soccer ball into his brother's face. They talked about it, of course they did. He found Jean sitting outside surrounded by soccer balls, his head in his hands. He look defeated and Farlan was determined to know why.   
  
He idly sipped his drink as he watched Levi stay silent for a moment or two.   
  
Levi rolled his eyes and waited for a break in between the questions that were rolling off of her tongue before saying anything. "Are you finished?" He asked in a bored tone. Isabel shook her head but remained silent because she wanted answers to her first questions and knew he wouldn't give her those unless she was quiet.  
  
"He agreed to give me a chance. A month." Was Levi's brief explanation and he hid a smile behind his tea. He didn't want to give out any details, those were personal memories and something he wanted to keep for himself.  
  
Farlan caught the smile Levi tried to hide from him. He was happy that Levi finally had found someone he could actually like and potentially fall in love with. Isabel said nothing, a calm expression on her face which he knew was dangerous. She stood up, excusing herself quietly before walking out of the cafe.   
  
"Three, two, one," he counted on his fingers and when he got to one, there was a high pitched squeal and the door opened once again, Isabel returning to her seat with the same calm expression.   
  
"That's wonderful news Levi." She said with a smile and grabbed the wrist that Farlan was holding his coffee with and pulled the drink to her lips, taking a sip. "I'm so glad he's not dead."  
  
Farlan was too, but there was something else about this that was plaguing his mind, but he decided not to voice it. He knew that him and his realistic ways of thinking often ruined good moods and he didn't want that. Not at this time. He would talk to Isabel about it later.   
  
"Wow, so controlled. I'm shocked." Levi said in amusement. At least she had excused herself from the room in order to scream rather than destroying his eardrums like she usually did. It was a nice change of pace, although there were probably a lot of confused students walking around right then. His attention turned to Farlan who had hardly even said five words this morning.  
  
"You are awfully quiet this morning." He commented to his brother, grey eyes fixed on the blonde.  
  
It took Farlan a moment before realizing that he was being spoken to and he was pulled away from his worried thoughts, the frown on his face dissipating as his eyes locked on Levi's. His tongue ran over his teeth as he thought of words to say and he settled for a shrug. "I'm fine. Just thinking." He checked the time. If he didn't leave now, he would be late for morning practice. Sliding his coffee to Isabel, he kissed her head and gave a wave to Levi. "I have practice. I'll catch you guys later." He shrugged on his jacket on the way out.  
  
Levi narrowed his eyes at Farlan's back as he moved away, not allowing his gaze to waver until long after his brother had disappeared. Something was off with him. "It might be best to keep an eye on Farlan. He seems distracted." Levi mused quietly, taking a bite out of the muffin in front of him thoughtfully.  
  
Isabel looked over her shoulder and at the door that Farlan had once left through. Had he not told Levi that he had gone and talked to Jean that day? Jean basically spilled everything, giving the reason why he had kicked the ball to Levi among other things. She sagged her shoulders and looked back at Levi.   
  
"Well, there's nothing we can really do. You know Farlan. He can be as stubborn as you, if not more. He seemed worried." She stood up and stretched her arms before grabbing his coffee. "You can come with me to talk to him during lunch, but we should get to class because if Eren is there, I need to smack him and then possibly hug him. We'll see." She gave Levi a grin, pulling him to his feet.  
  
Levi rolled his eyes, took a final sip of his tea, grabbed his book and muffin, and followed her to class. "You are such a drama queen. It's not like we are /actually/ dating... he's just giving me a chance to make him /want/ to date me." Levi elaborated a little bit, feeling his cheeks turned a bit pink.  
  
Eren found it difficult to to climb out of bed, but he did anyways. He was feeling generally better than he had in the past two days. But that didn't mean that the heavy weight was lifted. It was still hovering and he could feel it but he was able to push it down and away while he got dressed and grabbed his backpack after slipping a jacket on.   
  
He didn't bother with a coffee and he plugged in his earbuds, adjusting his beanie before he shoved his hands into his pockets and made his way to class.   
  
Levi panicked a little inside as soon as him and Isabel walked into class and Eren came into view, sitting there just being the perfect little sh*t he was. His heart sped up and he gave Isabel a look saying 'oh my god, what do I do?' Was he supposed to sit next to Eren or... or what? He just didn't know. He still felt as though yesterday were a dream and he was scared he would walk in here and that's all it would be-a dream.  
  
"Holy cheese!" Eren yelled -mindful of his language since he was sitting in the lecture hall- as Isabel tackled his side with a squeal and tight arms around him. "Okay, okay. Isabel, please. I would like to breath." He pried her away and took in a large breath. "Jesus, woman. I'm not /dead/." She didn't seem to hear him and she hugged him again, but this time he rolled his eyes and patted her back.   
  
When she pulled away, this time she had a frown. "Well you _could_ have been, but I wouldn't have known because you disappeared for three days." She hit his arm and he glared at her.   
  
"Well, I'm here. Alive. In the flesh. Now go find your seat and leave me alone. I have shit to catch up on." She rolled her eyes but did as he said. She turned around and gave Levi a reassuring smile and pat on the shoulder before skipping back to her seat. Eren sighed, closing his eyes as he took out his music. "Hey, Levi."  
  
He stopped in front of Eren, raising a hand to rub at the nape of his neck awkwardly. "Hey, Eren. Can... Can I sit here?" He asked hesitantly and awkwardly, pointing to the seat next to Eren. He wasn't too sure about any of this, getting close to people wasn't exactly his thing, after all.  
  
Eren gave him a grin. "Yeah. I was actually saving the seat for you. I was gonna ask if you wanted to sit here anyways." He moved his stuff out of the way, watching as Levi sat down and he pulled out a piece of gum, leaning back on the back two legs of his chair and he brought a foot up to keep him propped up. He offered a piece to Levi.   
  
Levi suddenly felt stupid for asking as he sat down and took the piece of gum Eren offered. "Thanks. Do you always carry around gum?" He asked curiously, recalling the numerous times he had given Levi a piece as of recently. It was a lot more than the normal person, if he really thought about it.  
  
"Yeah," Eren replied shyly. He laughed lightly. "You never know who you're gonna kiss next. And it's nice to have pleasant smelling breath because for /whatever/ reason, my friends love invading my personal space." He paused, looking down at Levi. "Well, besides you." Eren just had a thing for gum. He loved it, for whatever reason. It made him relax for some reason.   
  
Levi couldn't help but smile at that, slightly amused by his explanation. He felt a pang of jealousy at the idea of anyone else kissing Eren, even though Levi had no right to feel jealous. He couldn't help it, though. "I guess I'm just wary of personal space." He admitted sheepishly, although he'd love to be all up in Eren's personal space... in a good way, of course.  
  
Eren shrugged and folded his arms on top of his head, careful of the beanie. It was always a pain to fix it. "That's a good thing. Maybe Isabel should learn it from you. I swear, that girl is going to crush my internal organs from a hug one day. I'm surprised she hasn't with you, Jean, or Farlan. She literally hugs everyone."  
  
"Isn't that the truth. She's always been like that in all honesty. When we were younger she would literally just go around hugging everyone, even people she didn't know. It was insane. She freaked me out because she just kept coming up and hugging me. Even as a child, I wasn't very approachable and I didn't have any friends. This was way back when Farlan had just become my brother, though." He sighed thoughtfully. Him, Isabel, and Farlan had been inseparable for so many years now.  
  
Eren couldn't help but laugh, a hand slapping over his mouth as he moved his foot and fell forward rightfully on his chair in one swift motion. He was looking at Levi, the class hadn't start yet. "I have yet to see the day when you give someone a hug. You know, like a real hug. A manly hug." He smacked his chest but instantly started coughing, covering his mouth with a hand.   
  
Levi laughed. "Are you alright?" he asked and Eren nodded through his fit of coughing. Lev shook his head. Only this kid.  
  
"I've never been much of a hugger, although I don't know how much of a 'manly' hugger I would be. What is that supposed to even mean?" He mused, arching an eyebrow in curiosity. He'd never heard to anyone refer to a hug as 'manly'.  
  
Eren stopped, placing a hand on the table. "I swallowed my gum." He sucked in a large breath and whistled before looking back at Levi who had been laughing at him. "Thank you so much for your concern on my health," he teased. "And have you never seen, like, football players hug? They're like bone crushing and shit."  
  
"Of course I was concerned, you said you were all right." he pointed out with a sigh. He was not good at this sort of thing. He was ucking crazy to think he could make Eren like someone like /him/. With the way Levi was going, he wouldn't get very far at all. Certainly not within a months time.  
  
"I must admit, that kind of hug doesn't really appeal to me. It sounds... sweaty. And painful." he admitted. God, he sounded like some super clean freak girl... well, half of it was right anyways.  
  
Eren laughed. "Trust me. They're not fun." He sat back with his arms crossed loosely over his chest. "I used to play soccer in high school and they would do this big group hug after we won or lost a game. It was gross, but you know, that's just a thing we did because we were all friends and we were a team. The locker rooms were even worse though, _oh my god_." He lolls his head to the side to look at Levi once again. "Just saying, it was absolutely and my mind is forever scarred."  
  
Levi scrunched his nose in distaste at the implication. "I really don't want to know. It sounds too horrible already. I should probably start with something a little... umm... less gross." He mused with a low, nervous chuckle.   
  
"You're acting as though you've never hugged someone." Eren teased, his thoughts thinking back to last night when he had hugged Levi. "I'm sure you could have learned something by now after knowing Isabel for so long," he blew a bubble with his gum, flinching when it popped.   
  
He shrugged. "She always hugged me... but I never hug back. I guess I never have. Not since I was a toddler anyways." Back when he had been extremely young, he had been an extremely loving and huggy child when it came to his parents. As soon as he lost them, he lost a part of himself. The gentle and naturally loving side of him.  
  
Eren felt compelled to say something, or do something because of the look on Levi's face. He opened his mouth, only to close it back into a thin line, thinking of the proper words to say. "Well," he said, looking away from Levi and he chewed on his gum thoughtfully and his eyes roamed around the room. "You can always hug me if you need one. Just so you know. Because sometimes you just need a hug. And even if I'm not that person who you feel you need a hug from, I'm still here." He sent a small smile to Levi before pulling out his notebook and things.  
  
Levi let a little smile appear on his face, his heart skipping a beat. Didn't Eren realize what he did to him? How much more Levi fell for him every single time he said those kinds of things, just the simple beauty of Eren and the things he said. Levi just loved them. "I'll remember that." He said, a little quietly, before taking out his own notes.   
  
Eren couldn't help but adore the small smile on Levi's face. The boy never smiled and it was rare to see him do so. He plugged one of his earbuds in, leaving the other out just in case Levi needed to talk to him. Subconsciously, he bobbed his head to the music, dancing slightly in his seat as he mouth along to the words. It was something that helped him take notes for some reason.   
  
Levi couldn't help but he distracted by the faint sounds of music coming from Eren's headphones and the way he bobbed his head along to the beat, it was actually pretty cute and he could help but hide a smile behind his hand and occasionally let out a small, muffled chuckle at the sight.  
  
"Don't laugh at my having a good time," Eren huffed, looking over at Levi who was trying to hide his smile. He switched the earbuds. "You wanna listen too? You would be doing the same thing. This music gets me pumped." He held out the small earbud to Levi. He usually wasn't one to share his music, but Levi had to be an exception. He had agreed to Levi's deal after all.   
  
He looked at it for a moment, taking the earbud from him and leaning in a little to put it in. "What kind of music is it?" He asked a little curiously. He'd never been one to listen to a lot of music, he did more reading than anything else.  
  
"Well for one, just scoot closer," he pulled Levi a little closer. "And it's just random music on Pandora. I don't really have a specific genre that I listen to you. You don't have to if you don't want to."  
  
He gave Eren a bashful smile as he scooted him closer. "No, I like it." He said hastily and turned away to resume his notes, pleased that he got to sit close to Eren and share his music.  
  
They were quiet the rest of class, Eren laughing at some of the stupid songs that popped up. He could feel Isabel's eyes on them every now and then and he chose to ignore it, knowing that she would want some kind of explanation even though he was sure that Levi had already told her. Why wouldn't he have told her?  
  
"Hey, Eren, you wanna eat lunch together?" Isabel asks as she makes her way over after class.   
  
Eren opened his mouth as if to say something and Levi shot Isabel a glare. "Unless, of course," She paused, a knowing smirk on her face, her gaze switching to Levi, "You and Levi have plans. Do you?" She knew that Levi probably wouldn't have asked unless she butted in and interrupted them.  
  
"I was, actually, going to ask him to eat lunch with me but if not then its fine." He replied quickly, a little embarrassed about having been put on the spot like that.   
  
Eren looked between the two of them. "Sorry Iz, Levi and I had already made plans, but maybe next time?" She nodded with a sad smile that he knew wasn't sad at all. She waved, claiming that she needed to talk to one of her professors before her next class and she left the two of them alone as they gathered their things. "So where exactly did you plan on taking me?" Eren asked with a small smirk as they walked and into the hallway.   
  
He rubbed awkwardly at his neck, glancing away and giving a nervous laugh. "I have a place in mind." He told Eren vaguely with a smile. It was a little off-the-wall place he loved to go to that he had discovered his freshman year of college. It was a nice little retro diner on the other side of town, which honestly wasn't that far. "How long do you have for lunch?"  
  
"Well, I have lunch and then an hour or so before my next class, so maybe close to like, two hours? It depends on the time my professor lets out the class before lunch. He's kind of unpredictable, but I can ask to leave early if you want to meet somewhere at a certain time. How long do you have?"  
  
"I don't have any classes until later tonight. So I have pretty much unlimited time when it comes to lunch." He said with a quarter-smile. "Tell me where your class is and I'll come get you."   
  
Eren's head perked up. "You take night classes?" He asked with a smile and he scrunched his nose. "/Why/?" He could never take night classes because he knew that he would pass out during one of them. He loved his sleep too much. "I have statistics which is near the science building. We could just meet at the library because we both know where that is and it's fairly close enough."  
  
He pushed the door open, holding it open for Levi as they walked out of the building.   
  
"Oh shit, my papers!" Eren watched as the paper flew out of his hand and he jumped over the railing of the stairs to go after it. He tumbled after tripping over his foot, but managed to catch it. He lied on his back after a moment, catching hit breath before holding it up in the air in victory. "Got it!" He yelled.   
  
Levi rushed over to help Eren as he tripped but was too late. He crouched beside him, a look of amusement crossing his face. "Did you?" He mused rhetorically with a chuckle, holding out a hand to help him up. "Are you okay? Dork."  
  
Eren looked up at Levi with a proud smile as he waved the paper. "Dude, that was some hella hardcore parkour." He grabbed Levi's hand as he was pulled up. "I haven't done sh*t like that in a /long/ time. That hurt like a bitch though." He shook his head and arms. "I'm fine though. And if you must know, I'm more of a noob than a dork, thank you very much."   
  
He shoved the papers into his backpack and looked back at Levi with an amused grin before fixing his beanie.   
  
The raven-haired man rolled his eyes at Eren, "I'm not sure how hardcore I would call that.... but it look like it hurt." He teased, smiling at Eren as he fixed himself. But the disheveled, grinning, and laughing Eren was enough to take his breath away. It was incredible to look at, to Levi anyways. Nothing had managed to take his breath away quite like that.   
  
"Well I jumped like three feet over stair railings and I tripped and tumbled. Hurt my foot, but I'm good. Not the stupidest thing I've done." He finally gave up with his beanie and he took it off, ruffling his hair with his free hand, running it through his hair until he deemed it tamed enough to try with the beanie again. "Have you done anything stupid? I'm sure you have _some_ stories?" He peeked at Levi through the corner of his eye, noticing that Levi was already staring at him.   
  
Levi quickly looked away as Eren caught him staring, feeling a little embarrassed by the fact that he'd been caught. "Well... I always did have a pretty bad temper. I used to act on it a lot, but I'm usually okay these days. Usually." He gave a low chuckle and grimaced at the memories. He'd never been very good at 'getting along' and 'playing nice'.  
  
Eren snorted. "Well I can believe that." He flinched. He probably shouldn't have said that, especially when he was talking about the incident days ago. "I was the same though. I've gotten better. When I act on something though, it's usually because I'm too overwhelmed with too many feelings and I don't know what to do with them." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "But you have to have a story you can tell me." He shot Levi a fake pouty face. " _Please_." He fluttered his eyelashes in the stupid way he knew how to, not able to bite back the smile on his face. "I'll tell you one."   
  
He grimaced a little when he said that he could believe it. he knew he hadn't exactly left a great impression the other day when he'd gone after Jean in the hallway. But he also couldn't refuse the look Eren was giving him, that adorable puppy dog face. "Umm... me and Farlan got into a really stupid fight once. It was basically a front lawn brawl because he'd made Izzy cry. This was back in our last year of high school when they finally started to date." He told Eren, remembering the way they had sheepishly explained to their parents why they had come home to find their sons out on their front lawn just going at each other.  
  
"Well Izzy cries probably about everything," Eren said with a laugh. "Did you guys break anything though? No bones? No windows? I mean, that's a good thing if you haven't. I've done plenty of that in my high school days." He thought back to all the times where he had almost gotten in trouble with police or school security. "Okay, I know the perfect story." Eren said as they walked into the building where his next class was. "It was someone's birthday, I don't remember who. Or it was some kind of party and they had a trampoline so, someone gave me a choice to either say my crush's name, and they were there at the party, or to jump off the roof and onto the trampoline. You can only guess what my choice was."  
  
"No, he had said some stuff to make her cry. I was extra protective of Izzy back then, especially when she started dating. Even when it came to my brother, she was still my best friend. We were just teenage boys." Levi shrugged.  
  
Levi arched an eyebrow. "You seriously jumped off of a roof onto a trampoline as opposed to that? Stubborn brat." he teased. The again, just a few days ago Lev probably would have preferred to jump off a roof than admit to Eren he liked him.   
  
"Well... Yeah I did, but I broke my wrist when I fell off the trampoline. They still found out about my crush anyways, so it didn't really matter at that point." He stopped at the door, leaning against the wall. "I'm not stubborn. Not usually anyways." He shook his finger at Levi. "Depends on the matter at hand my friend. Everyone's a little stubborn at times." A sigh left his mouth. "So are we meeting at the library? Or I can come to you?"  
  
He chuckled and shook his head at Eren's story. "The library sounds good. I'll see you then." He mused with a large smile. Well, large for him anyways.  
  
\--  
  
"Why are you limping?" Eren looked up from his phone as he was heading to the library. "Did you trip over your own laces again or what?" Eren rolled his eyes as he shot Levi a text saying he was on his way and shoved his phone into his back pocket.   
  
"That was _one time_ Jean. And like freshman year too. Will you ever drop it?"   
  
Jean shook his head with a teasing smirk. "Nope. There are some things I just don't let go." He slung an arm around Eren's shoulders and he tensed at the contact, before relaxing.   
  
"Yeah, I know." He removed Jean's arm, shooting him a look. He studied Jean's face for a moment. It was calm, content and smiling unlike it was when Levi and him had fought. It was also different than the pained expression he held from when he and Eren last talked three days ago. "But trust me, you should at least let that go." Jean shook his head. As they reached the library, Eren stopped in front of the stairs.   
  
"Why are you going to the library? It's lunch time."  
  
"I made plans with someone." He answered and Jean raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, yeah. But I'll meet you after practice and we can go work on homework together before you pass out." Jean's face flustered at Eren's smile and he nodded, watching as Eren waved and walked into the library.   
  
Levi anxiously waited for Eren in the library. He'd practically been twiddling his thumbs and impatiently waiting for him for an hour now. He closed the book he'd been idly staring at for the past five minutes as he noticed Eren walk in, shoving it deep into his bag. "You ready?" He asked as the brunette reached him.  
  
"Lead the way." He gestured to the door, following closely behind Levi as they walked out the large double doors, the smell of old, rustic books leaving his nose and being replaced with fresh air. He took in a deep breath even though he had just been out a moment ago. "Where are we even going? You never told me."  
  
"It's a surprise." He told told Eren, leading the way off of campus towards the diner. They should have plenty of time, it was only about a ten minute walk off of campus if you walked at a decent speed. "It's a place that I like to go. Most people have never heard about it." He informed Eren.  
  
Eren groaned. "I literally have no patience for surprises. And I have the attention span of a squirrel." He watched Levi as they walked. He seemed calmer than before. There was a slight bounce in his step that Eren hadn't noticed before until now. It interested him. He should probably know the answer to this, and he probably did, but he couldn't really think of a plausible reason. He kept quiet about it. "So you're not going to say anything about this place other than you like to go here?"  
  
"Nope. I'll teach you patience." He mused with a smirk, giving Eren a sly little wink before continuing their walk. He was pleased with his choice and excited to show Eren.  
  
Finally, after about 10 minutes they reached the little diner, slightly hidden in between two buildings and it looked a lot more compact outside than it actually was inside. "This is the Sina Diner." He finally announced before opening the door to Eren, revealing the inside.   
  
Eren was a little surprised when Levi sent him a wink with a smirk on his face. "Well now I remember why you have a bounce in your step," he muttered under his breath so that Levi couldn't hear and entered into the building. It was cool looking, he would give it that. "Looks like something out of fucking Grease." He said with his eyebrows slightly pulled together as he looked around. "Are you into cheesy romance or something?" The moment the words left his mouth he instantly wanted to take them back, but he played if off with a playful grin as he looked at Levi who walked in after him.   
  
Levi rolled his eyes. "It's just quiet here and the food is actually decent." He shrugged but at those words he suddenly regretted bringing Eren here. _You're such a fucking idiot._ He scowled silently to himself before going and picking a booth, feeling a bit deflated and finding it a bit difficult to look up at Eren as he handed him on of the menus tucked behind the napkin dispenser.   
  
"I think it's pretty cool. I never knew this place existed. I love diners." He reassured Levi, scanning his eyes over the menu after placing his phone on the table in front of him. "You picked a good place." He said after a moment, deciding on what he wanted rather quickly.   
  
He set the menu down and looked around the place, smiling at the waitress as he ordered his drink, Levi ordering his drink as well. It was quiet, like Levi had said and he found it comforting.  
  
Levi glanced around a little, shifting slightly in his seat before looking up at Eren. "How are classes?" He asked, feeling a little dumb at the question. He took him on a lunch date, and the first he asks about are classes? Well, you have to start somewhere... It still felt pretty dumb.  
  
Eren shrugged, propping his chin on his palm while his elbow rested on the table. "They're okay. I mean, my grades are pretty decent, so that's good. I hate physics so much though. _So much_ ," he whispered that last part before looking over at Levi. "But everything else is pretty good. I'm not excited for biology labs though because I know that Isabel is going to talk my ear off." He smiled a little. "What about you? How are your classes and things?"  
  
He smiled to himself. He couldn't help but love the animated way Eren talked. He was just so bright and enthusiastic, the complete opposite of Levi. Maybe that's why he liked him so much. Where Levi was dark and nasty, Eren was bright and kind. Somehow, it pushed the darkness down, if only for a little while.  
  
"Classes are good. Not nearly as interesting as yours, I'm sure. An English major is not nearly as interesting as a major in marine biology." He mused, not bothering to scan the menu in front of him, he already knew what he wanted. He was just hoping the waitress wouldn't flirt so openly towards him like she usually did.  
  
Eren was about to say something, but he snorted instead. "Dude, I think the waitress is eyeing you." He tilted his head over to the waitress who was staring over at them, turning her head away when Eren looked over at her and her friend and he couldn't help but smile, biting his tongue with his teeth as it stuck out of his mouth a little and he looked back over at her, laughing again. He turned back to Levi. "She must know you." He wiggled his eyebrows as he took a sip of his water.   
  
Levi gave an exasperated sigh, slumping down in the booth so she wouldn't be able to see him, he was short enough he really didn't need to slump too far though. "Tch. She does this every time I come here. Some people just can't take a hint." He sighed. She was so busy ogling him, they hadn't even received their drinks yet. Finally, a few seconds later, she returned.  
  
"Sorry for the wait, boys." She announced. She was an attractive brunette with big brown doe eyes and sleek brown hair, most would classify her as drop dead gorgeous that anyone would drool over, however Levi didn't acknowledge her as she winked at him. "A water for you," he set the glass in front of Levi, "and a sprite for you," She set it in front of Eren, eyeing the boy curiously for a moment before looking at Levi. "I'll be back in a few minutes to take your order." She said, walking away with a coy smile.  
  
Eren couldn't help but let out snort as he covered his mouth with a fist and he looked at the waitress before back at Levi. He had to pick up his drink so that he could hide his smile behind the rim of the glass. "Dear god, she's terrible at flirting. But man is it funny." He looked at Levi who didn't see very amused with him or the waitress.   
  
He set down his glass as the table vibrated from his phone and he looked down to see a message from Jean. He rolled his eyes, but he picked up the phone to reply anyways with a sigh.   
  
Levi sighed and took a sip of his water, regarding Eren carefully over the rim of the glass. He wondered why Eren actually agreed to this when it was so obvious Eren wasn't in to him. He wanted to ask but... he had to admit he was afraid to hear the answer. Levi knew he wasn't fun, friendly, or desirable. He wasn't anything special, more like a blemish on this earth; but he decided to store the question away in his mind for some other day and place. Even he could recognize that now wasn't the time for it.  
  
"So what are some things you enjoy doing?" He asked awkwardly, hoping to get some ideas for places to take the boy later on.  
  
Eren looked up from his phone after sliding it back on the table. "Well, I love soccer. Absolutely _love_ it. It's my favorite sport ever and I have no idea why, so don't ask." He smiled a bit. "I don't really do anything. I'm kind of a loser. Sometimes I study fish and sea life. I love the ocean. It's what got me into Marine Biology. Well, at first I wanted to be a professional soccer player..." He trailed off and rubbed at the back of his neck. "But I never thought of myself good enough. So I settled for fish. Kind of weird, but I love the ocean and everything it holds like all the mystery and everything that has yet to be discovered."  
  
He remembers watching Finding Nemo for the first time as a child. It's been his favorite movie ever since. It always brings him happy memories whenever he thinks back to it. "I'm good at video games? I guess? I don't know. Like I said, I don't do much. Sit inside with friends, studying, hanging. Oh, well, I do love watching movies. So there's three things." He paused. "What about you? Anything you're interested in?"  
  
He smiled, stirring the straw in his glass absentmindedly while watching and listening to Eren babble on about his subjects. Even if it was just babble, Levi soaked up every syllable. Sure, they had known each other for a month, but Levi still felt like he didn't know enough about Eren, that there was always more to learn about him.  
  
"Me?" He said, a little taken aback by the question as no one had ever really asked him that before. "Reading and the piano. I've played since I was young." He admitted. Most didn't know he even loved to play, or that he was good at what he did either. It was a secret that pretty much only Levi, Isabel, and Farlan knew about.  
  
That perked Eren's interest. "Really? You can play the piano?" He asked quickly. "That's so cool! My mom used to play too. Well, she played a little bit, she wasn't the best but she could play a few tunes." Eren couldn't help but smile brightly. "You definitely need to play for me sometime." He held out his pinkie like a child. "Pinkie promise."  
  
Levi smiled and hooked his finger with Eren's. "Then you will be the sixth person to ever hear me play." He mused, his insides fluttering a little at Eren's interest. He hadn't expected Eren to be so... enthusiastic as to want to hear him play. It made him excited to play for him, though.  
  
Eren raised his eyebrows. "Who are the other five? And should I feel special?" He felt the corner of his mouth twitch upwards in a small smirk as he moved back from leaning over the table and he pressed his back to the booth. "Because I feel a little special."   
  
His phone buzzed again and he groaned, not noticing the waitress making her way over to them. "Jesus Jean, what do you want?" He hissed under his breath as his fingers went to tapping quickly over the screen of his phone a bit angrily.   
  
"Mine and Farlan's parents, Farlan, Isabel, and my old instructor. You should feel special, I don't play for most people." He told Eren. Levi had never really been one to play in front of a crowd, he often borrowed a private practice room here at the college and played quite often though.  
  
Levi glanced down at Eren's buzzing phone with a frown, hating Jean even more in that moment than before.  
  
"Alright, what can I get you, handsome?" She asked Levi, that same flirtatious fucking smile dancing on her lips. Normally, he would be able to ignore it and brush her off, but considering he was here with Eren on a date, he had little patience for her today.  
  
"My usual, and don't waste your breath, I'm way too gay for you." He told her and her face turned a bright pink as she realized the man she'd been flirting with all this time was gay and she hadn't even realized it. Levi didn't exactly go around telling everyone he was gay.  
  
Eren stared at Levi, jaw dropped at the total bluntness in the statement and before he knew it, he was laughing almost uncontrollably. He had to slap a hand over his mouth so that it wouldn't be loud and annoying like it usually was and he used his other arm to clutch his stomach, leaning back with his head thrown back as he continued to laugh.   
  
He had never thought of Levi to be so blunt and it was amazing. Eren hadn't laughed this hard in the longest time and he felt tears swell at the corners of his eyes. It was a good five minutes until he had calmed himself down, an amused and pleased smile on his face as he took a deep breath and told the waitress his order, adding a wink for enjoyment as he watched her blush and walk away.   
  
Eren sucked in a deep breath, feeling his sides cramp but the laugh was totally worth it. " _Oh my god_." He finally said.   
  
Levi's eyes widened at Eren's sudden burst of laughter. He hadn't been anticipating that, after all, it was true. But still, that laugh. Levi wished he could hear it everyday. It was beautiful and just so... full and light. It was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard, and he'd kill to hear it again.  
  
"You act like it is news to you." He said with a small lazy smile.  
  
Eren laughed again, but not quite as hard as he did a moment ago. He knew that it wasn't news, but there was a part of him that was still a bit surprised by it. Like his mind had refused to accept Levi's confession and his offer. He had put it to the back of his mind, not really wanting to dwell on it too much so that he could get some sleep and his mind had forgotten about it.  
  
He shrugged, a smile on his face. "That was just... really blunt is all. I didn't expect that from you." He took a sip of his drink, light chuckles and laughter bubbling up from his chest. He didn't want to admit that he had forgotten about his deal with Levi so he kept it to himself.  
  
"Who, me? Maybe I haven't talked enough. I am an extremely blunt person, even more so when I'm irritated." He admitted, glancing away. Somehow... it almost made Levi nervous he had reacted the way he had, almost as if Eren had forgot. Maybe he had, there was no way to know unless he admitted it flat-out. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind. _Nah, he wouldn't forget something like that._  
  
It's not like he didn't know now. It was now in the front of his mind and he wanted to ask Levi a million questions about all of it, but he knew there was a time and place for that. Just not now.   
  
"I haven't been around someone as blunt and open as you since high school. That was great." He gave a lopsided grin. "I haven't laughed that hard in a long time and now I feel like my abs are dead." Eren let out a snort. "Like I actually _have_ abs. I don't move enough for that."  
  
The waitress came with their food soon enough, still avoiding eye contact with Levi, but she seemed to have taken an interest in Eren. He could have laughed at that.   
  
"Is there anything else I can get you boys?" They shook their heads.   
  
"No I think we're good. Thanks so much, sweet cheeks." Eren gave his most flirtatious smile and wink, watching in amusement as she walked off with a red face.   
  
Levi arched an eyebrow. Was Eren _seriously_ flirting with her? "Sweet cheeks?" He reiterated, a hint of annoyance permeating his tone.  
  
Eren laughed, popping a fry into his mouth. He shook his head and shrugged. "It's something I say to mess with people." He noticed Levi's slight annoyance and he raised an eyebrow. "But I see it's messing with you more than it is with her."  
  
He suddenly felt a little bad for that. Especially after the past couple events that have happened. He shifted in his seat, casting his eyes down to his food. He wasn't really hungry anymore, guilt taking over his appetite.   
  
He felt terrible. He wasn't one to think before he spoke. His mind thought back to when Levi found him at the park, how desperate Levi sounded and how Eren went along with it without a second thought. But he couldn't have second thoughts now. Eren agreed to a deal and he was one to keep his word.  
  
Levi picked moodily at his fries, his mood turning slightly sour, his words reflecting it. "Well, in case you didn't get the memo, this was supposed to be a _date_ , but interpret it however the fuck you want." He said with annoyance, having completely lost his appetite at that point. Had Eren only agreed to make fun of him and mock him? Because he certainly didn't appreciate it. In fact, it hurt a little bit. His chest ached painfully.  
  
It was then that Eren knew he fucked up and he couldn't do anything to take back the words that had left his mouth. He opened his mouth, only to close it back to a thin line. He didn't mean to make Levi upset. He had every intention not to make Levi upset. In no means did he mean to do that. This was why none of Eren's relationships worked. Because he was always accused of never taking it seriously.   
  
"C'mon, Levi," his words died in his throat. "I was just kidding. I didn't mean to upset you or anything." Eren could feel his heart hammering in his chest and his guilt was crawling up his throat, but he swallowed it down because he knew that it was his fault. He had ruined everything. He could feel it.   
  
Levi tossed the fry down onto the plate and fixed Eren with a stony look, his usual prominent scowl on his face. "I get it. I came out of nowhere. My feelings must just be hilarious to you. Sorry to waste your time." He stood up, and threw some money down on the table to pay for his meal, slipping his jacket back onto his arms.  
  
"I'll leave now because obviously it was a fucking mistake." Levi's voice cracked at the end of his sentence, giving away how hurt he was as opposed to angry. More than anything, he just needed to get away. He felt like he'd been made a fool of and he couldn't stand to sit here and attempt to force the food down his throat.   
  
So, with that, he left the diner as he bit back angry tears. _What a fucking idiot I was, to think_ I _of all people could hope I even had a chance._  
  
Eren should have expected this to happen. Of course it would have because why would his love life ever go good? Nothing has been going right lately and it made him question if it was him. It probably was. Seeing what just happened. He wanted to cry, but he had done enough of that lately. He got up as fast as he thought that he knew he could and raced out the door and after Levi.  
  
"Levi!" He yelled, looking around. He didn't remember the way and his heart was pounding so hard, he thought it was going to pop out of his chest and he ran in the direction he remembered last, the wind whipping at his face and he finally caught sight of him. "Levi! Levi, wait!" Eren grabbed his arm and yanked him to a stop, forcing Levi to look at him. Once Eren's eyes saw Levi's red and glassy ones, he swore that you could hear his heart breaking into a million pieces.   
  
Levi barely spared Eren a glance before quickly hiding his red and irritated eyes. "What?" He snapped defensively, tearing his arm out of Eren's grip, his body tense. What did Eren want now? To mock him a little more?  
  
Eren was speechless, his mouth opening and closing like a gaping fish. "Levi, I'm so sorry. I—I didn't mean it. I promise. I feel so horrible. Oh my god, I'm such a terrible person. I'm so sorry. This—this was never my intention to do this because I understand now that it's me who did this and I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." He could feel himself starting to get overly emotional as well, tears forming in his eyes.  
  
The past few days have been nothing but roller coasters and Eren wanted off. "I shouldn't have done that back there and I know that now, but I didn't know what to do and how to react and I'm just really sorry and please forgive me because I made a deal with you and I was being an a** about it, and, just, please. I'm sorry." Eren was out of breath by the time he was finished with what he was saying. He didn't know what to do with his arms or hands or himself and he kept his eyes glued to Levi, waiting.   
  
Levi stuck his hands into his pockets as he listened and then looked at Eren, the tears forming in his eyes. He sounded sincere but... "If you want out of this deal then get out now. I'm not very good at dealing with people and people don't like me so this isn't easy. I've never done any of this." the raven haired man pointed out. He already felt like he had failed when it was only the first day, he had just started trying and yet he wasn't sure what to do.  
  
There was a part of Eren that told him to say yes. To get out of the deal so that neither of them would get hurt, but there was a stronger part that told him to stay. To stick with the deal. "No. No, I won't." He found himself saying and he cast his eyes away from Levi. "I told you, one month. I am giving you one month to make me happy and right now, it's me wasting your time. And that's not fair to you. So, no, I'm not getting out of this deal. This isn't easy for me either. I mean, sure I've dated, but they've never worked out before. Maybe one, but that's it. It'll be something for both of us." He took a deep breath and looked back at Levi. "So at least give me another chance to give you another chance."  
  
He didn't answer for a long time, regarding Eren carefully. He knew in the end he would get hurt, he knew that he had no real chance to win Eren over, but he needed to try. "Then don't treat it like a joke. I mean obviously you need to have fun and you can joke around, but don't treat me or my feelings like a joke." It was more of a need to make sure he wouldn't because Levi couldn't try if Eren did stuff like that all the time.  
  
Eren nodded, relief washing over him in a large wave. "I know. I know. I'm sorry. I promise, it won't happen again. And if it does, then it's not me meaning to. I tend to do these kind of things without realizing, so if I am, then tell me and I'll try to fix it. Promise." He couldn't help but give a small grin that showed off his relief. He took the extra couple of steps and wrapped his arms hesitantly around Levi in a full hug. "But I really am sorry." He muttered, his voice quiet enough to the point that Levi almost couldn't hear him.   
  
Levi let out a sigh, his anger dissipating almost immediately. Eren sounded so sincere and apologetic, he couldn't stay mad at him. With that apology, he knew that he regretted it. From his experience so far, Eren wasn't really one to apologize all that often, especially if he didn't mean it.  
  
Awkwardly, Levi attempted to return the hug. "It's fine. I know you have class today, but I think today is up for a do-over. Is it okay if I try again another day?" He asked. He wanted to take Eren somewhere instead of some sh*tty diner.  
  
Eren nodded, smiling when he felt Levi return the hug but he didn't let go just yet. "Of course. How about a dinner? After my last class and before your night one? Would that work?" He asked as he pulled away and they began walking back to the campus, back to Eren's class where he knows Isabel is going to be waiting, prowling for him so that she could pounce and ask him everything.  
  
He shook his head. "I don't have time tonight... how about tomorrow?" He suggested, inhaling Eren's sweet scent, it was warm and smelled of cinnamon and vanilla. Somehow it was a sweet and comforting scent, almost calming.  
  
Eren felt a little bummed if he was honest because he f*cked up their first date and he wouldn't have a chance to fix it. But he nodded anyways. "I'm free like all day tomorrow. Well, except for that morning class we have together. But other than that I think I'm free. So whatever works best for you works for me." He could see Isabel as they neared the front of the building, her red hair visible from a mile away.   
  
He nodded, and gave Eren a little smile. "Tomorrow sounds good. I'd like that."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the delay! We just realized that for some reason chapter 5 never posted! Chapter 6 is almost finished and we should be back on schedule now that both of us have graduated. Thank you for your patience and support. Enjoy!

"You owe me." Eren groaned as he glared at the person standing at his dorm door. He had barely gotten any sleep that night, at least three hours because all he could think about was how horrible he was yesterday and how he had ruined the date with Levi. The guilt had caused him to stay up all night and be angry with himself. He decided to skip class, his grade was good enough to do so and he had nothing to turn in.

But, his good morning had been ruined when Jean came knocking at his door. "I don't owe you sh*t Jean." He said as he walked back into his dorm and Jean entered, shutting the door behind him. "I was trying to sleep. I didn't get very much sleep last night and I have the biggest headache in the world at the moment and your face doesn't help." Eren sat on his bed, rubbing at his head groggily. His mind was still half asleep.

"You never came by practice."

Eren rolled his eyes. "I had other things to be doing. Like homework and worrying about things." Jean raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry about it." He sighed and stood up, stripping off his shirt before tossing it at Jean as he looked for a new one. "I could use some fresh air and I'm already late for my first class and I don't have any others today, but I need to study." He changed successfully, grabbing his stuff, waiting for Jean to lead the way as they walked out.

Farlan narrowed his eyes as he saw Eren and Jean walking together, a little too closely in his opinion. Levi had told Farlan about their deal the night before when he'd returned to the apartment that the two of them shared. Wasn't Eren supposed to be giving Levi a chance? By the looks of it, Eren wasn't distancing himself at all. The way the two boys looked at each other, the small gestures and touches... he didn't like the looks of it.

Levi walked into class, his gazing trailing the chairs in search for Eren, frowning as he didn't see him. Was he alright?

Eren set his stuff down next to a tree, groaning at the sunlight so he decided to stand under the shade of the tree, cracking his neck and he stretched a little bit to waken up his body and his mind as he watched do some kind of trick with the soccer ball as though it was a hacky sack. He looked up at Eren, the ball balancing on his foot before he tossed it in the air to Eren.

They kicked it back and forth, practicing tricks like they had done in backyards during high school. Eren smiled at the memories, laughing as Jean missed the ball with the top of his head and it hit him square in the face. Jean shot him a glare, shooting Eren a fast ball that he was kick to receive much to his surprise. He hadn't done something like this in a while and he ran towards Jean, the ball weaving back and forth and he dodged Jean before kicking the ball into the wall.

"I win." Eren said with a smug grin and he pulled out his phone to check the time but he also found a bunch of messages from Isabel. "I'll catch you later. Class is almost over and I gotta meet a couple people before class." He slung his backpack over his shoulders and they did their handshake before Eren broke into a jog to the class that would get out a in a couple minutes.

Levi sighed, stretching his arms as the class was dismissed and neatly putting all of his papers and pencil in his bag. "Ready?" He asked, standing and looking at Isabel who sat beside him. She nodded and they made their way out of class, her babbling about something and him tuning her out, wondering where Eren would enjoy eating tonight for their date.

As Eren jogged around the corner, he bumped into someone, Eren catching himself by grabbing onto the corner of the wall. "Oh, sh*t are you okay?" He asked and he looked to see that it was Farlan. "Oh, hey Farlan. I'm sorry I didn't see you there." Eren didn't see Isabel and Levi making their way down the hall after spotting the two of them and Eren bent down to help Farlan pick up his papers.

"Shouldn't you be in class?" He asked, almost a bit too harshly.

"I didn't get much sleep last night, so I skipped and slept in."

Farlan scoffed, his gaze darkening as it set on Eren. "I don't know, you and Jean seemed pretty awake together this morning." Eren's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Why was Farlan getting so mad at him? Before Eren could say anything, Farlan pushed past Eren, bumping his shoulder and Eren's eyebrows raised out of their furrowed gaze in a different kind of confusion as he watched Farlan push out the doors.

"What was that about?" Someone asked and he looked to see Isabel walking over to him along with Levi.

Levi rolled his eyes. "He must be in one of his moods again." But his eyes followed Farlan who was now stalking down the hallway, and most definitely looking upset. He would have to talk to his brother once he got home tonight.

Isabel crossed her arms. "I don't know. He seemed like he was in a pretty good mood this morning. He made coffee and everything, which is something he never does." She sighed. 'Well whatever. I'll catch you two later." She waved, leaving the two of them alone.

"What class do you have next?" Eren asked Levi. He knew he had asked this question before, but he could never remember for the life of him. "I can never remember." He admitted. "Maybe I can meet you after. I have to go to the library and study since I don't have classes or whatever today."

"Psychology." He reminded Eren with a sigh, it was like the boy had no memory. Levi practically had to remind him everyday.

"Sure, sounds good to me." He agreed, thrilled that Eren had asked him as opposed to Levi asking first.

"Cool." Eren said with a bright smile. "I'll walk yku to your next class then." He pushed the door open for Levi as they walked out. There was a small smile on Eren's face as they walked.

"Sorry I wasn't in class." He said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I got, like, no sleep last night and I'm not used to no sleep and I figured I could just skip since I didn't have classes for the rest of the day." He peered over at Levi.

Levi gave a small shrug. "I understand that. Trust me, as one of the world's worst insomniacs I know how it feels." he admitted. Ever since he was young he started developing insomnia. He knew there were doctors he could see and medication he could take, but quite frankly he wasn't interested in any of that. At least he got a lot done thanks to his condition.

"Okay, this might sound a little random, but has Farlan said anything about me?" Eren asked after a moment of silence as he shifted his backpack to the opposite shoulder. "When I accidentally bumped into him, he seemed like he was really pissed off over something that me bumping into him. And I don't think I did anything wrong?" He looked over at Levi.

It did concern him a little that Farlan was mad at him over something he doesn't know that he did.

"I did notice that. He hasn't said anything about it but I'll ask him when he comes home tonight, maybe he can shed a little light on it." Levi responded, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth for a moment before stopping and realizing what a horrible habit that was. He sighed. "He's probably just in a bad mood."

"I hope so." Eren said under his breath. The rest of the walk back to Levi's class was a comfortable silence between them. All he could think was what he could have done to make Farlan so upset with him. He had said something about he and Jean which led him to believe that maybe Farlan had seen the two of them this morning but if he had, then he would have said hi. At least Eren would like to think so.

He shook his head as they stopped by the classroom. "Is there anywhere you want to meet after this class or how many classes do you have left?"

"I have two classes left. How about I'll text you when I'm done and then we can meet up?" He suggested, still deciding where exactly he wanted to take Eren. Definitely not the diner like yesterday, maybe a semi-formal restaurant? He wasn't really sure yet, two classes should be more than enough time to really think on the subject.

Eren smiled and gave a slight nod. "Yeah, sure. Sounds good." He waved at Levi as he watched the other boy enter his classroom before turning on his heel and he made his way to the library. It was thankfully quiet enough for him to actually get some studying done before being interrupted by his friends. He had to give up once he knew they were coming because he could never get anything done when they were around.

"You look better than you did this morning." Marco noted as he sat down at one of the chairs, Armin and his sister Mikasa sitting at the other two. "Did you actually sleep?"

He shrugged, shutting the textbook in front of him. "Well, I would have gotten a little more if Jean hadn't been a fucktard and came knocking at the d*mn door." He rubbed at his face and slumped down in his seat.

"What did he even want? I'm surprised he was awake that early." Mikasa said, earning a snort from Armin.

"Sometimes he has soccer practice in the morning. Which I think he did this morning which was why he was actually at my room. Also because I totally ditched him last night and went straight home after I had ruined a date." The three of them stared at him like he had grown two heads. They all raised their eyebrows, expecting Eren to explain. "Yeah, I went on a date. So what?"

They exchanged looks. "With who?"

Eren let out a sigh. He knew that explaining everything to them would take a while. So he was thankful that he had a couple hours to do so. "Okay, well it started with a party that Isabel dragged me to..."

 

* * *

 

It was halfway through his second class that Levi finally made up his mind on where to take Eren. It was a nice Italian restaurant a little ways from campus, but it wasn't too bad of a drive. He smiled and pulled his phone out of his pocket, sending a message to Eren:

**Dress nice tonight. I'll meet you at your dorm at six, sharp.**

"Eren, you have literally gone through your /entire/ closet twice. It's just a date. With Levi. Pretty sure he's not going to murder you if you're not wearing a suit. He's gonna be here soon. He said six right?" Marco looked at the clock on his computer. "It's five forty-five." Eren groaned and fell face first onto his bed and Marco sighed before moving off his own bed. "I swear, the things I have to do for you."

He looked through his own clothes, rummaging through his clothes before finding a pair of black slacks and he threw the pair at Eren's head. "Those should fit you." Eren sat up and stared at them, a questioning look on his face because he never remembered being the same size as Marco. The freckled boy was a bit bigger than Eren, but he wasn't about to complain. As he slipped the pants on, thankfully they were perfectly fitting, he watched Marco rummage through Eren's clothes and he pulled out a white button up shirt.

"Oh, hey, you found it." Eren said with a grin and Marco rolled his eyes.

 "Okay, gonna be a little honest for a moment," Marco said as he handed the shirt to Eren as the other boy stripped off the one he was wearing. "Those pants look great on you. Your butt looks fantastic." Eren quirked an eyebrow in amusement, poking his butt out in the slightest as he looked over his shoulder at it. "Well not when you do that." Eren snorted, his fingers moving to button the buttons and he tucked the shirt in. Marco found one of his old, black ties and wrapped it around Eren's neck, knowing his friend would have no clue how to do it himself.

"Marco, I'm not a child."

 "Eren, yes you are."

Where Eren was a nervous, fumbling mess, Levi himself was a nervous put-together mess. He showered and dried his black undercut carefully. he couldn't help smiling to himself a bit as he stood in the bathroom drying his hair. He had made it to a second date, technically, even though their first one had been a disaster. This was the last thing Levi has expected to be doing today, but it was much more welcome than sitting at his desk, drinking tea and studying. As much as he loved tea, spending time with Eren would always top it. Levi's stomach flipped at just the thought of Eren.

Once he finished, he sorted through his wardrobe and pulled out a pair of nice black slacks and pulled on a crisp black button up, carefully tucking it in and rolling his sleeves up. He laced his belt through the loops and made sure his pockets were tucked in, put on his watch, and slipped on black socks and black dress shoes. Many would argue that he was wearing too much black, but even he had to admit he looked good in the crisp dress clothes.

Once he was satisfied with his appearance, he grabbed his wallet and keys, locked his apartment, climbed into his car and heading over to Eren's dorm. He was vaguely disappointed that he hadn't seen Farlan at their little apartment before he had to leave, but his excitement and nervousness trumped that disappointment by far.

 He took a steely and nervous breath, running his hands through his raven hair and checking his appearance in the visor mirror one more time before getting out and going up to Eren's door. The knock seemed to reverberate through him and strength the butterflies dancing into his stomach into more of a forceful hurdle.

 Just when Eren thought he was done freaking out and panicking, a knock came to the door that sent him into a spiraling fit of struggles and curses as he bumped and hopped around the too small dorm while he tried to slip on his converse. But, of course, it couldn't go smooth for Eren and he tripped, a girlish scream leaving his mouth as he fell on his bed.

Marco snorted a laugh, his mouth covered by his hand. "Shut it Marco!" Once Eren was sure that his shoes were tied and he looked nice. He ran a hand through his hair and smoothed over his clothes before opening the door with a sheepish smile. Marco was still laughing in the back, saying something that only Eren could hear and he shot Marco a glare.

He waved goodbye after checking for his phone and keys and stepped out of the dorm. "Sorry about that." He laughed a little nervously, shoving his shaking hands in his back pockets. "Didn't mean to keep you waiting." They began to walk and Eren took a couple deep breaths before looking over Levi. He would be honest to say that Levi looked better in black than a lot of people Eren knew. "You look nice." He commented.

Levi couldn't help but give a snicker, amusement dancing in his gray eyes as Eren opened the door, his eyes wandering over Eren's slightly disheveled form, somehow it made him just that more attractive. "You look good too." He appraised with approval, the white shirt accented his golden skin and his dark hair even more. He snickered again as his eyes reached the converse. "It's so you, too." He mused. It was kind of cute actually.

Eren's face lit up a bright red and he looked down at his shoes. "I'm sorry. They were the nicest thing that I had in my closest. And I'm not sure if I should take offense to that or not." He laughed again, a genuine smile making it's way to his face as he watched amusement fill Levi's eyes.

"Holy shit, this is not your car?" Eren stated as they walked outside. "Do you own your own drug cartel, jesus fuck." He slid into the passenger seat carefully as if he was afraid he was going to damage something and have to sell his soul to fix it. Eren didn't even have his driver's license. Why would you need one when you literally ran everywhere you went and had other friends to drive you places?

"No, I like it. It's very you, quite frankly I think it's cute." He admitted bluntly with a smile as they slid into his silver 2013 vanquish. His and Farlan's parents were very well off and a car like this wasn't a big deal for them, Farlan had his own red sports car that he liked to speed around in, but they both usually just left them parked in a special garage off campus so they wouldn't be stolen. Neither of them were dumb enough to just leave their cars parked in their lots.

"Yeah, my adopted parents are really well off. This is my baby." He admitted, patting the dash as he took off. Despite the showy car, he always stayed within five miles per hour of the speed limit. He wasn't stupid enough to get pulled over. "Maybe sometime I'll have to show you what she can really do." He grinned.

Eren was speechless. He should have pieced it together. He's been _in_  Farlan's car before. They had driven around, gone to a few soccer games together with Jean and Izzy. But, then again he didn't know that Levi was his brother. It all made sense now.

He let out a laugh covered by his hand and he looked over at Levi. "You call your car your 'baby'?" He asked with air quotes. "And I'm not entirely sure what that offer means, but I'm gonna take it anyway." Eren grinned back at Levi. It was different than what Farlan had called his car. The fact that he had given it a name was amusing enough to Eren.

"I've been in Farlan's car before. Almost everyone had. _Especially_ Izzy." Eren and Isabel were close enough for her to tell him everything, and some of those things he probably could live without knowing.

Levi's thoughts skated over everything Eren said and his foot sudden connected with the brakes and the car came to an abrupt halt, thankfully there was no one else on the road or they most definitely would have been in an accident.

"Don't you dare get blood in my car." He warned as Eren lurched forward and he put the car in park in the middle of the road, turning to look at Eren with fierce gray eyes. "Now what the fuck does that even mean?" He asked, suspicious of the tone Eren had used. He'd been suspicious of Isabel and Farlan being a little more than friends for a while, but he wasn't completely sure.

Eren flew forward, his face smashing with the dashboard before being pulled back by the wonderful force of gravity and his head hit the back of the seat with a loud thump that made his ears ring and his head was pounding. "Holy hell." Eren hissed and he brought his hand up to his nose to find that it was, yes, indeed bleeding. Along with his lip he had bit too.

He groaned and lolled his head to the side to glare at Levi with just as much fierceness. So much for starting well. "Well thanks for the concern. I'll make a note of that next time." Eren snapped back as he tried to stop the bleeding. It wasn't gushing, just a drop or two and he didn't want to get it on his white shirt or Levi's car.

"What are you even talking about?" Eren asked, groaning in pain. "I was kidding, Levi. Take a chill pill. Jesus, that hurt." He was thankful that the bleeding had stopped, looking around to see if there were any kind of tissues. Surely Levi had to have some lurking around in his immaculate car.

Eren took the tissues, wiping his nose and hands once he was positive the bleeding had stopped. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine." He waved Levi off, giving a reassuring smile even though he winced with pain. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to surprise you. But it's nothing. Don't worry about it. We should probably go though before we get in trouble for being parked in the middle of the road."

He probably should have thought twice before opening his mouth.

"Wrap your tissues in another tissue and put it in the glove box." Levi said, putting the car back in drive before taking off again, feeling a little bad for having slammed on his breaks so hard. "I suppose I don't really think when I'm driving about other people being in the car, I don't drive people around much." He admitted.

Eren did as he was told and sighed, touching at his nose gingerly. "It's okay. I've had worse. I've actually broke my nose and a few other bones. Don't worry about it. You were concerned about Isabel, and it's understandable because it's hard not to be." He ended that with a snort, making him wince in pain from the action. It was an endless cycle for him.

"Where are we going anyways? I hope they don't mind people with bruised noses." Eren gave a sarcastic thumbs up to Levi when they were at a stop sign, laughing at the glare he received.

Levi leaned over, wordlessly pulling Eren's face closer and inspecting his nose, brushing over it lightly with his thumb. "Sorry, it isn't noticeable though." He mused in a soft tone, his breath ghosting across Eren's cheek momentarily before he drew back, releasing Eren's face and driving once again.

Eren's smile instantly fell and his breath hitched in his throat as Levi pulled him closer. He didn't hear the words Levi had said, his mind reeling almost as quick as his heart was pumping in his chest. Red flushed his cheeks as he stared at Levi with wide eyes. He could feel Levi's soft breath on his cheek and he could feel his heart leap to his throat. But within a moment it's gone as fast as it came and Eren is leaning back into the seat as his hand subconsciously reaches up to faintly brush his fingers over the skin where Levi's breath once was.

Levi didn't notice Eren's reaction and the rest of the car ride there was spent in silence, Levi brooding over what he had done and the guilt he felt for bashing Eren's nose into the dashboard. Who did that when they were on a date? it was fucked up is what it was.

Finally, they pulled into the restaurant parking lot. "I hope you like Italian." He mused with a grin, going over to Eren's side and opening his door for him.

Eren wasn't able to register what Levi said to him before getting out the car for split second which allowed him to groan slightly. He was surprised when Levi opened the door and he gave the shorter boy a sheepish smile, his mind still a little dazed from a few moments ago.

"Italian," Eren said quietly to himself. It was a bit hard to think with his new raging headache, but he could manage. "I like Italian. It explains why you wanted to dress nice." They walked in, the smell of spaghetti and garlic hitting his nose.

"I'm gonna go clean my face and I'll be right back." Eren said to Levi. They had a couple minutes before being seated so he thought it would be a good enough time as any.

Levi nodded as they waited for their seats to be prepared. He had manage to pull a few strings with his parents' influence to get them reservations here tonight but they had yet to finish preparations for a table. Levi sighed as he waited and scratched at the short hair on the underside of his undercut. He felt pretty bad for stopping abruptly like he had, it wasn't exactly ideal for a date, to have him bash your nose in before it really even started.

Once Eren was sure he was clean enough, he ran his hands through his hair, smoothing it down. Taking a deep breath, he walked back out. He wasn't sure why he was so nervous. Well, besides the fact that he had fucked up the first date.

He saw Levi and walked up behind him, his own hands running through Levi's hair, ruffling it and he laughed at Levi's startled reaction. "Stop feeling bad." He walked around Levi and leaned on the wall behind him, crossing his ankles. "It was an accident. Accidents happen."

Levi was surprised at the sudden contact and his stomach did large, over-exaggerated cartwheels inside of him and he chuckled, a little nervously. "Still." He mused, unable to resist looking Eren's well-dressed form over once more as he stood against the wall, beautiful with that cocky little air about him. Somehow, it seemed to suit him.

After a few more minutes, the hostess finally called their name and guided them to their table. Levi pulled Eren's chair out for him with an expectant look.

"Oh, what a gentleman." Eren said, covering his mouth with the tips of his fingers he had seen girls do in movies. "Thank you, Levi." He said sincerely as Levi pushed him in and he watched him sit across from him. Eren couldn't help but look around at the restaurant. So far there weren't any horribly cheesy, flirtatious looking waiters or waitresses. That was a plus. He had made it very clear to himself that he would solely focus on Levi and getting to know him better.

"This place is so nice." He patted his pockets after a moment, panicking. "Sh*t, I forgot my wallet back at the dorm." He felt bad for Levi paying for everything even though it was a date.

Levi waved a hand at Eren. "Good. don't worry about paying. I asked you on the date so it is only right that I pay." He told Eren sternly, adjusting himself in his chair, looking at the boy across from him. "Besides, I felt like Italian today anyways." He joked with a smirk.

"But I still feel bad about it." Eren groaned and leaned on the table with his elbows, his cheeks squished in his hands. He couldn't help but laugh at what Levi had said next and he raised an eyebrows, removing on of his hands from his face and he messed with the sleeve of his shirt at his elbow, his other hand drumming his fingers on his chin. "So even if I didn't like Italian, we would have come here anyways?" A small laugh escaped at the end of the sentence.

Levi rolled his eyes. "Of course not. I double checked with Isabel first, obviously. I wouldn't want to take you somewhere you wouldn't like." He said, amused. He watched him fidget, tugging and drumming almost nervously. "Speaking of which, is there any specific type of food you don't care for?" Levi asked curiously.

He shrugged, sitting back in his seat and he wrung his fingers in his lap, his leg bouncing up and down. He didn't know why he was so nervous, and it was making him mad. There was no reason to be so nervous with Levi. He was hoping he wasn't giving off that vibe either.

He fidgeted again, getting annoyed with himself as he adjusted himself in the seat. "Well, I am a growing child, so I don't really care about any kind except Mexican food." He made a face of slight disgust. "No thanks. I mean, I like taco bell. Chinese food is my favorite." He drew with his finger on the condensation on the class before realizing how childish he was being and he folded his hands on the table. "What about you?"

Levi shrugged, watching Eren with amusement, he looked about as nervous as Levi felt. "I can't say I'm particularly picky, although Italian and Chinese are at the top of my list." He said with a half-smile, running his own ivory finger along the rim of the glass in front of him. "You don't need to be nervous, I don't bite. Most of the time anyway." He chuckled with a smirk.

Eren froze. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..." he trailed off, not really knowing where his apology was going. He didn't know his fidgeting was obvious enough to comment on. He was glad that Chinese was one of Levi's favorites as well. He was a little hopefully they could have takeout sometime. Levi's next sentence caught him off guard, but not as much as it probably should have.

He felt his own smirk make it's way to his face as he looked at Levi over the rim of the water glass. "Oh, well I'll make sure to keep that in mind." He sent a playful smirk Levi's way.

"Please do." Levi joked, sitting back in his chair and regarding Eren carefully for a few moment with his heavily lidded eyes. Silence filled the air between them, it was comfortable but Levi didn't want silence, he wanted the air to be filled with Eren's voice and his sweet, round laugh.

"What's your favorite place to be?" Levi asked curiously, in a light tone. He was more just trying to make conversation and get to know Eren without getting too deep. Sure, he knew some stuff about Eren, but not nearly as much as he wanted to. He could never know enough.

"The ocean." Eren replied on instinct. "The aquarium. Anywhere with fish or with water. I love both. I love to swim. I practically am a fish, or at least my mom would tell me that." He smiled at the memory. "I've been to the aquarium so many times. Oh! Or soccer games. I love it so much. I mean, even though I don't play anymore, I still watch it often."

He let his eyes rake over Levi's appearance. Even though he had already taken a look at Levi, he certainly didn't mind doing it again. Levi was attractive, he would give the other boy that much. "What about you? You have any special hobbies or hangouts? Besides riding around in your fancy a** car." Eren gave him a teasing smile.

Levi made a mental note to take Eren to the aquarium sometime since it was too cold to go to the ocean right now. He knew of an aquarium a few towns over, they weren't that far from the coast. "Well, it's mostly still just reading books and playing the piano. They are pretty mellow and boring to most people but... I've always been a bit of an introvert. 

"Reading isn't that boring." Eren said with a smile. "I mean, obviously, I'm not a big reader. I'm more of a movie person. We're almost like opposites." He paused. "What kind of movies do you like? Depending if you like them."

"No, I like movies. They just don't last as long as books." He pointed out. The one thing he didn't like about movies was the brevity of them and you couldn't get deep into the plot, not like in books. You didn't know what the characters on screen were thinking, and sometimes you didn't even know what they were feeling if they weren't good actors.

"I don't have a specific genre, although I hate sappy romance. All of those unrealistic, cliche, straight people... not really my thing." He admitted.

Was it bad that Eren especially loved _those_ movies?

He didn't know what it was about them but whenever he watched one, he was always hooked. He always found himself kind of sappy, depending on what it was of course. He's always kind of liked the idea of romance and being happy with someone, hence all the relationships that have inevitably failed besides one or two. He sometimes liked sappy and cliche. Straight people he didn't mind because he usually thought of himself as bisexual but he wasn't so sure about that anymore as of lately.

But he certainly wasn't about to tell that to Levi.

He was supposed to be "Mr. Suave Flirtatious Smile" and he was, according to his friends until he got nervous and he became the clumsiest person on the planet.

"Oh," was all Eren could manage out from embarrassment. "I mean... there's nothing /wrong/ with them," he muttered, "but what's your favorite genre then? Of movie or of book?"

From that, Levi could tell he did like the romance genre, but that was personal preference. "No, there isn't anything wrong with them, they just aren't my type. Personal preference more than anything, but I suppose I prefer a good action movie. When It comes it comes to books... I read way too many tragedies." He admitted. Some of his favorites had been tragedies, in all honesty. But he would read just about anything that fell into his hands.

"I think the last book I read was with Izzy. Or Mikasa?" Eren dropped his hand onto the table where he began to drum hid fingers. "I don't remember but it was some John Greene book. Gonna admit that it was really good."

He shrugged. "I love horror movies. I will say that much. Love them so much for some reason. All my friends always say it's strange how much I like them. But I do. It's the thrill. The exhilaration of what's gonna happen and who's gonna possibly die next. But I will never play a horror video game."

"Oh, why's that?" the raven-haired man asked, amusement flitting across his face. "Is it the idea that it is you experiencing the horror first hand?" Levi himself didn't mind the horror genre, as shitty as most of the acting and sound effects were, he had come to find them rather amusing. Hanji had insisted he watch horror movies with her every weekend for almost a year once.

Eren snorted. "No, because they're fucking terrifying. Have you ever played one? I have. Yeah, _no thanks_. Never again. You can't do, say, or give me anything to get me to play a horror game. Like the slender man games. I will punch your computer and break it. I know it from experience. I did it to Jean's in the tenth grade.

The waiter finally came, and Eren couldn't help but give him a little look over. He was cute, Eren would admit that. He ordered some kind of pasta and turned his attention to Levi as he took a drink of his water.

Levi ordered a pasta dish as well, having picked a random one off the menu without much thought, he generally wasn't a picky eater so he wasn't worried about not liking the food. "I have to admit, I pegged you as someone to enjoy horror games, but I suppose I can picture you sh*tting your pants from them as well." He mused, sipping at the water that had been placed in front of him earlier.

can play them, it's just the unexpected jump scares that are so close to your face and they're weird, random, deformed creatures of Satan that get to me. Now I really want to play one just to prove you wrong." Eren sat forward with a challenging look on his face. "Have you ever played one Levi?"

Levi met his challenging look with a smirk and had an idea where this was going. "I haven't played any, but a friend of mine from high school made me watch her play them all the time." Hanji had always been a strange one and horror was one of her favorite genres of everything. Books, movies, video games, art. It was crazy. He'd never seen someone so immersed in a single genre.

"But you've never played? How can you talk shit about them if you've never experienced one?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, a smug looking coming to his face. Even though Eren's only ever played one horror game by himself, he's played many with a couple friends with him so it was more comforting and less terrifying. But Levi had never played one. " We should play one together." He suggested nonchalantly. "Because I love horror and you've never played. Seems like it would be interesting."

"Are you sure you won't regret it later? From the sounds of it you get pretty freaked out." Levi teased, amused by the idea of seeing Eren play one of those games. He had a feeling it could be quite entertaining. He'd seen some pretty interesting reactions, but somehow he had a feeling Eren's would be priceless to experience.

Eren scowled at Levi, sitting back in his chair with his arms crossed over this chest. "I think I'm regretting it now." His teeth tried to bite back the small smile that was making it's way to his face and he glanced over at Levi. He wasn't looking at Eren for once, looking around and Eren's eyes roamed around Levi's face. He had been doing that a lot today, he's noticed.

After a moment, Eren spoke up. "Tell me something interesting about yourself, sir Levi."

Both piano and singing lessons." Levi had previously told the brunette about him being able to play the piano, but never that he'd gotten formal lessons for singing. No one really knew Levi could sing as well as he did, it was just an unexpected talent of his. Not even Isabel or Farlan had ever really heard him sing. "I also dabbled in the cello a bit."

Eren was a bit taken back by this. He knew about the piano playing but not about the singing. "That's so cool. How's it going so far?" He asked curiously. "And that reminds me when I learned how to play the drums... or at least I tried. I wasn't coordinated enough so I stuck with soccer. That's like the only talent I have. I could never be able to play like two instruments and sing as well." He gave Levi a small clap. "Wish I could be that talented. You should definitely show me sometime when you're playing the piano for me."

"Ah, well... I've never actually sang for anyone except my instructor. I'm not that good, but if you want me to I will." He admitted with a low chuckle, his fingers gently scratching at the bottom of his undercut on his neck.

"I'm sure you're great." Eren countered back. "And I would. I think it would nice because I've never known anyone who could play the cello and most of the people that I know, suck ass at singing and you look like you could be an amazing singer and I don't doubt that you are." He smiled at Levi.

"Don't get your hopes too high."

Just then, their waiter came with their food, setting it down in front of each of them, pouring them each a glass of wine, and leaving the two again. Levi sipped cautiously at the wine, it wasn't too bad in all honesty. He took a bite of his pasta, chewing it thoughtfully. That wasn't too bad either. "How is it?"

Eren didn't bother with the wine. He was never a fan of wine. He was more of a beer person even though he has gone through his fair share of wine bottles at sleepovers during high school. He took a bite of his own food after watching Levi's reaction. It was better than he had expected it to be even though he didn't really have an expectation for it.

"It's actually pretty good. Better than I thought it would be honestly." He took another bite, poking his fork in Levi's direction. "How's yours?"

He smiled, pleased that Eren was enjoying it. "It's good. But I can't say I've ever been one to favor fancy restaurants." He admitted, picking at his food and taking small bites on occasion.

"Yeah, same here. I'm not a fancy person. I mean, I don't even have dress shoes. Usually I just borrow from Jean or Marco. I'm more for take out or diners and stuff like that. Never been on a picnic though. Which is just like your own food eaten outside on a blanket. I've seen High School Musical. That sh*t is cheesy, but I can't say I don't like it." He sent a grin to Levi.

Levi made a mental note to take Eren on a picnic. He'd never been overly fond of them because of ants and other bugs that could get in your food, but he'd been on a few forced ones with Isabel and Farlan. "I prefer those myself. It's stuffy in places like this. I've been on a few picnics, they aren't too bad." Another mental note that Eren preferred takeout and diners as opposed to a fancy place like this.

"You've been on one?" Eren asked curiously. It surprised him. Levi didn't seem like the type to go on picnics or the type to dislike fancy places. He seemed like he was quite the opposite. "What do you even do on them? They don't seem like very much fun unless it's all planned out or I guess it could depend on the place you have the picnic."

A silence fell between them. "What's the stupidest thing you've ever done?" He asked suddenly. "You seem like the kind of person who actually thinks before they speak or act so there has to be some kind of fun story you have hiding."

"Hm... Let me ask you something first. What else has Isabel told you about me?" Levi asked with a sigh. She'd already told the brunette a few embarrassing stories about him, somehow he doubted they would stop there.

Eren kept himself silent for a minute, looking over at Levi with a slightly smug look. He picked up the glass of wine, gingerly taking a sip. "Nothing of importance." He took another, licking his lips to remove the lingering taste and set the glass down gently. "What has she told you about me? If she's said anything, which is highly doubtful that she hasn't because... well it is Isabel that we're talking about."

He narrowed his eyes at Eren suspiciously. "I don't trust that mug look on your face. She has told you something. What was it?" He asked, already feeling embarrassed. Isabel and Farlan were the only two people who knew anything even remotely embarrassing about him. It made them dangerous in their own ways.

Eren shrugged again, folding his arms over his chest after pushing away the half empty plate of pasta and picked up the glass of wine. He crossed one leg over the other. "Nothing." There had been enough about Levi that Eren learned from Isabel that Eren could write an ten page essay about it. They weren't major things either, just small habits he did often or he had as a kid. His relationships with his parents and Farlan. Little things that Eren would think to gain from Levi himself 

"I'm curious to know what she's said about me."

"Only that you are really good at hacky sack. I don't let her tell me things about you because I would rather hear them from you."

Eren didn't know if he should be embarrassed or flatter at Levi's statement, the red on his cheeks mixing from both. It was a rare thing for him to ever get embarrassed or flatter so easily. He was going to blame it on his nerves. It was just some little pink dust on his cheeks. He could also just blame the temperature of the room.

"Aw, that's so sweet." He mumbled into the wine glass so that Levi couldn't hear him. "I'm not even that great at it." He laughed, more awkward than not. "That's not even something you brag about to someone. We used to play it all the time during soccer team hang outs. It was good practice. You can do some pretty cool shit with a hacky sack."

"I've never tried myself. You'll have to show me." Levi chuckled and chewed thoughtfully for a moment, taking another sip of the wine and then letting his gaze drift back to Eren's face which was tinted pink.

"So, what has Izzy told you about _me_? I know she's told you lots of things."

"She has." He confirmed. "But they're not big major things about your life as you would think. Just small little habits and things about you that she always deemed necessary to blurt out in the middle of class or the lab. More often than not, they were somewhat related to the conversation that we had been having before. She just liked to brag about you and Farlan. But," he leaned forward from where he was once slumped smugly into his seat, "she did say that you took martial arts and you were pretty high in rankings. Maybe even won a couple tournaments."

Eren had always been intrigued with that kind of sport and he had wanted to do it himself but it was too expensive and he didn't have the coordination it would need, so he stuck to soccer.

"Ah, yeah. My parents really threw me into extracurricular things when I was young to try and distract me from everything. I became a black belt at mixed martial arts when I was sixteen. I've competed in quite a few tournaments, I placed first in nationals once as well, but I quit competing soon after that." Levi explained.

Sure, he had enjoyed his time in martial arts, but after that he had decided to call it quits. Now, he helped teach at a little dojo nearby from time to time.

Eren couldn't help but let his jaw drop a little. "You quit?" He'd ask incredulously. "You were a black belt and you won the national championship. Why would you quit? Did something happen that made you want to quit or did you just loose interest in it?"

Eren and his high school soccer team had once made it to the regional competitions but never nationals. "Why don't you just get a degree in... I don't know what it's called but you can get some kind of degree and teach it can't you?"

He just shrugged. "It wasn't that anything happened or I wasn't interested... but it wasn't what I wanted to do with my life. I do help teach at a nearby dojo every now and then. It's just not what I wanted to do with my life, I suppose. I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with an English major either... I might get a teaching degree and teach high school English." It had definitely been an option the man was considering, but he honestly couldn't understand why it shocked Eren so much... then again not everyone made it to nationals for martial arts.

"I think you'd make a good English teacher. Just don't go too hard on the children. They tend to be sensitive." He quips with a smile. "You should do whatever you think is going to make you happiest with your life. And if that means showing little children how to beat each other senseless then do it. That would be pretty awesome not gonna lie."

"Wow, okay I think you have the wrong idea of what exactly we do." He chuckled with a smirk. "I'd rather extend their vocabulary, I guess. I'm thinking about becoming a literature teacher, I think Izzy is afraid that I will beat the kids up if I do though since high schoolers are such little shits."

Eren let out a laugh. "Well I can definitely tell you that you'll run into some interesting students. My best friend Armin was the kind of student that knew everything, did all the homework, got perfect grades and sometimes even knew more than the teacher, which was pretty amusing because high school students like to think that they're the rulers of the world and that they're always right when most of the time... they most definitely are not."

He was having a better time than he thought he would, considering their last date the the fact that at the beginning of this one Levi had caused him to smash his face into the dashboard because of a comment that he shouldn't have made. The swelling had gone down and it didn't hurt as much anymore but he was sure there would be some kind of bruise to show for it tomorrow. 

Levi allowed a smirk of amusement cross his face. "Interesting... I was a decent student, although I was definitely the high schooler who thought they knew everything," He flicked some hair out of his face before continuing, "which I most definitely didn't. I was such a little sh*t." He sipped at the wine. 

"Is it bad that I can totally see that happening?" Eren asked. "Because I totally can. You seem like you would be that kind of student, whereas I, was most definitely not." He leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "I was kind of friends with all the different types of students, I never really stuck with a specific clique that kids usually have in high school."

"Yeah. I had my own little group that I stayed within, I still do. There were eight of us. You only know me, Isabel, and Farlan though. The rest of my friends either went off to other colleges or got jobs. One of my best friends, Erwin, is actually attending Yale right now." He made a mental note to call Erwin later. They hadn't talked in several weeks.

"You're best friends with the future president of the United States. That's nice to know." Eren teased. "You know some smart people, like Isabel. She's crazy good at some of those science classes and it's kind of scary in all honesty." But it was also nice because she could explain it just as well as she could do it.

"All my friends and I have been friends since either elementary school or middle school, so it was only natural that we had decided to come to the same college. Some would say it's a bit weird, but it made the most sense back then and it hasn't been all that terrible so far."

Levi shrugged. "Not really. I only came to this college because this is where Izzy and Farlan were going. I could have gone to Yale or Harvard or any of those schools, but I wanted to stick close to them. besides, half of the little fuckers in those schools have some kind of a stick up their ass anyways."

"Armin could have gone somewhere like that, he was even offered so be able to study abroad, but," he sighed, swishing the wine around in his glass, "but he decided to stay here with his grandfather. I love that old man. He's pretty funny. He had told Armin to go and study and do what he wanted and follow his dreams and what he wanted to do but he decided to stay here with us. Jean and I had been offered a few scholarships together and we almost went to another college together... but for whatever reason we had decided to stay here."

Eren had really debated about leaving, Mikasa and his father saying it would be good for him to get out and away from the little town he had grown up with and experience life with one of his closest friends. Jean was only willing to go if Eren was. They had agreed to go to college together no matter where it was or what they were doing. But of course that was when they were clueless teenage boys without a handle on life or what they wanted.

"Ah, yeah. Everyone was pissed off at me when I decided to come here instead of Yale because of Isabel and Farlan... but honestly I didn't care by that point. I'm glad I chose to go here. The English program is here and if I hadn't then I never would have met you or anyone else." Honestly, he hadn't met many other people. It was mostly because Eren was here. He was glad he had come here because he got to meet Eren.

"I'm sure that if my mom hadn't passed then I would have gone somewhere else, if I'm being honest. She was always that kind of person to encourage you to go out and try new things and experience the world and just live life to as much as you can. But she also wanted me to be happy and if I'm happy here then I guess it was the best choice." He smiled at Levi. "If you're happiest here and you've liked it so far then that's really all that matters right? Everything happens for a reason."

Levi leaned back, watching him thoughtfully for a moment. "Everything happens for a reason, eh? I can't say I've ever been too sure of that myself. Things happen too often for no real reason in my opinion for me to really believe in that... but I am happy here." He mused. The first thing that had come to his mind were the deaths of his parents. He didn't believe that happened for a reason, for them to be snatched away when he was only a child for no good reason. Did Eren honestly believe his mother died for a reason? He couldn't be sure.

happens for a reason... even if you don't know what that reason is. I've kind of always been a strong believer of that because if some things may not have happened then everything could be totally different. Like if I never played soccer and instead played baseball, I might not be here. Or if I never decided to try and move on and live life like my mom wanted, I could still be cooped up moping, even after all these years." He lifted a shoulder in a limp shrug. "But you know, to each their own I suppose. It's always been a life motto of mine. 

"I suppose... My parents never said anything like that to me, biological or adopted. My adopted parents tried to help me cope with outside distractions-piano, cello, martial arts. Plus, they had the money to send me to do all of those things." He shrugged, but somehow that thought wriggled on the edge of his mind: Everything happens for a reason.

He smiled at the waiter as he handed Levi their check, he still felt bad that he forgot his wallet, leaving Levi to pay for everything but it seemed like Levi was pretty keen on paying for everything himself. They boxed up their food, waving at the hosts standing at the front as they made their way to Levi's car.

"Yeah, we were never really well off, my dad was a doctor, but not a very big one at that and my mom had a couple jobs and I did yard work to earn some money to but we were a pretty happy family. Things were okay and we had many good times. High school was just the hardest for me but it also made me stronger, as a person that is. Soccer was kind of my distraction rather than playing an instrument as you did and it seemed to have paid off." He looked over at Levi for a moment before speaking. "You should really play something for me sometime. I would really love to hear it."

Levi smiled a little bit as he listened to Eren, he loved to hear the other man talk and to listen to the stories he had to tell. "How about... this weekend? I usually spend a couple of hours on Saturdays in one of the music rooms playing on one of their pianos. I can text you when I'm heading over there?" His heart raced at the thought of playing for Eren. It was very rare he played with anyone around.

"Is Sunday good? I had already told Jean that I would go to their soccer game on Saturday, or if you're going we could meet up before and then head over to the game. Usually he and I go out and get pizza or an ice cream or something to celebrate, even if they loose. Sometimes a couple of our friends join us." He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly at the fact that he was bringing up Jean when it was obvious there was some tension between the two of them.

"I'll be at the game too. I go to most of Farlan's games. If you want we can meet up beforehand, but it's alright if you don't." He moved forward to open the passenger door for Eren, closing it as he slid in and slipping to the driver's seat. Naturally, Jean always got in the way of everything and Levi hated it.

"Yeah. That works out perfectly then. I would love to meet up. I'm really excited to hear you play." He hadn't heard someone play the piano for him since high school, a few months before his mother had died. He still played that song sometimes to help put him to sleep on nights when he couldn't.

"Any song requests?" Levi started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. He was nervous to let Eren hear him. After all, he didn't just play for anyone. He'd been told his voice was decent, but as far as he knew he could sound like total shit. Then again, he doubted that his voice trainer would lie to him about something like that.

"Whatever you like playing the most. I'm sure that anything that you play will sounds amazing so I don't need to worry." The car ride was silent, but Eren liked it nonetheless. It was a comfortable silence between them, even when Levi had decided to walk Eren to his dorm again.

"Thanks Levi, for tonight. I had a nice time, and my nose doesn't feel too bad." He laughed a little.

A wave of guilt washed over Levi at the reminder. "Oh, uh, sorry about that. Make sure you ice it when you get inside. But... I had a good time too. Thanks... for agreeing to tonight." He ran a pale hand through his dark locks, glancing away for a moment before looking back at Eren.

"Soo... Saturday?"

"It's okay, don't worry about it. And yeah, Saturday. Definitely. I don't have any classes so any time before the game is good with me. You can just text me whatever time you think is good, I don't really mind at all." Eren found it a bit amusing how awkward Levi could be, it was kind of endearing if he was honest.

"Saturday. I'll text you." They reached Eren's room and Levi smiled, running his hand through his hair yet again.

"Night, Eren." A small smile made an appearance on his features.

Even though Eren told him he'd enjoyed their time, he couldn't help feeling insecure and a little dubious. Even if he had enjoyed it, that didn't mean he thought of their date the same way as Levi, even though Eren was well aware of how the raven haired man felt. But he still couldn't help the doubts swirling through his mind.

Eren fidgeted for a moment before stepping forward and giving Levi a brief hug and stepping back to where he once was. "See you later Levi." He gave a small waved before stepping into his dorm with a small smile, careful not to wake Marco who had passed out on his bed surrounded by four different kinds of books.

Seemed like he had the better night of the two of them, not that he was complaining.

Levi's breath caught in his throat at Eren's sudden hug, surprised by the action. He did not move for several long moments after, just staring at Eren's door for a few moments as he processed it. Yeah, he was probably overreacting to a hug but it had felt... nice. Usually he rejected forms of affection such as hugs, but Eren's had made him speechless.

Finally, he sucked in a large breath of air, running his hand through his hair again as if it were habit, and turning to head back to his car.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it! Please leave kudos if you enjoyed it and comments are much appreciated and always responded to!  
> This is going to be a multi-chaptered fic and we have a lot of plans for it as well, so be looking forward to that if you enjoyed it! ;)
> 
> our tumblrs:  
> http://thy-undertaker.tumblr.com/  
> http://queenofrulers.tumblr.com/
> 
> Based on this prompt:  
> http://ereriposts.tumblr.com/post/129312227880/but-can-you-imagine-levi-having-feelings-for-eren


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